Ahsoka's Legacy: To Survive Betrayal
by Count Mallet
Summary: AU. (2011 AD/19 BBY/16 GrS) Ahsoka narrowly escapes Operation Knightfall and crash lands in a foreign galaxy. How will she adapt to an Earth Jedi Order's rules and way of life? This is my first multi-chapter fic and the start of the "Ahsoka's Legacy" series. Rated Teen for Order 66 violence, medical descriptions, etc. [S7-F4-M1]
1. Chaos in the Temple

"_For me, I always wonder what's worse: an emotional betrayal or a physical betrayal? That's a really tough call."_

—Hilarie Burton

* * *

><p><strong>Preface<strong>

Initially, this story was written with multiple points of view. Eventually, I rewrote the story to be third person from start to finish. In 2015, I added an epigram, this preface, cleaned up some grammar, and restructured the story to be more consistent with my current writing style.

In the fall of 2011, I began writing an unpublished fan fiction where Ahsoka ends up on earth after Order 66. There, she eventually completes here training and becomes a wife and mother. Her adolescent daughter has been curious as to how her mother ended up as the only full-blooded Togruta on Earth, but Ahsoka has yet to reveal the story. I decided to write the back story as my first multi-chapter fic here. It's safe to say this story is definitely alternative universe (AU).

When I first wrote this story, I was under the impression that the full string of beads attached to Ahsoka's headdress made up her padawan braid, and not just the extension on her right side. It wasn't until well after I completed this story that I saw I was incorrect. However, I believe that Ahsoka would rather prefer to wear an entirely new chain once she was a Jedi Knight and keep the old string as a reminder of her tumultuous time as a padawan.

The original version of this story contained nine chapters and an epilogue. Because there is no prologue, I've changed the last chapter to be a finale while preserving the content. The finale still remains the place where Ahsoka reveals her OC pairing. Some might dislike how and where I presented it, but I planned the story that way and a good writer always has readers wanting to know what comes next, right?

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><p><strong>Acknowledgments<strong>

Very special thanks to Lucasfilms Limited for all Star Wars characters and concepts.

Special thanks to the following authors:

Shadow Griffin (#940553), for allowing me to use the 100°F [37.8° C] body temperature for Togruta. The ½°F [0.3° C] degree tolerance is my own concept.

AVP5 (#1991184), and his friend "Z", for advice and suggestions that made their way into different scenes.

CC-645 (#3528411), for clarifying writing terminology for me and for his behind-the-scenes advice.

Some information about Togruta traits mentioned in chapter seven comes from Wookiepedia.

Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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><p><strong>Opening Time Period:<strong> 2011 AD (19 BBY/16 GrS).

* * *

><p>Ahsoka took a break from her meditation. She <strong>still<strong> didn't know why her master wouldn't let her accompany him on his latest missions. It was frustrating to hear about Anakin's latest mission as secondhand news. She would have much rather been by his side when he rescued the Chancellor and defeated Count Dooku.

Ahsoka wasn't sure why her master ordered her to meditate tonight. He knew she wasn't a big fan of it. Had Anakin been more of a conventional Jedi, she might think it was some sort of punishment or exercise in emotional balance. But in her mind, her master's recent instructions made no sense.

As she closed her eyes to meditate again, she had the feeling something wasn't right. She thought she felt a rather dark presence that seemed out-of-place. Nobody ever infiltrated the temple, aside from the time Cad Bane did. And Bane didn't have a dark Force presence about him.

Ahsoka's thoughts were interrupted by a violent shock wave that rocked her room. It felt strong enough to ripple through most of the Jedi Temple. As Ahsoka opened her eyes, her montrals began to buzz with activity. As she opened her door, countless people ran frantically in the hallway. The dark presence felt stronger and oddly familiar.

"Get to safety! The temple is under attack by clones," someone yelled in passing. Ahsoka didn't recognize the person, but she found the statement peculiar.

_ Clones? That can't be right,_ Ahsoka thought.

Ahsoka nearly lost her balance as another explosion rocked the temple. Suddenly, she recalled a secret passage that she and her Clawmouse Clan classmates discovered by accident long ago. If she could find it again, just maybe he could escape without being trampled in the commotion. She quickly returned to her room and grabbed a small box. As she left her quarters for the last time, she ran through the hallway. She was determined to find the secret passage if at all possible.

As she turned a corner, nobody else was around. As she walked to the other end of the hall, she sensed the secret panel to her left side.

_ Thank the Maker I remembered where it was!_ she thought.

She opened up the secret panel and entered the dark passage, making sure to pull the panel closed behind her so that nobody else could follow her. As she passed each floor, she could sense the increased chaos through the Force and her montrals. Ahsoka briefly lost her footing when two more explosions rocked the temple. After a quick yelp, she regained her balance. The last thing she needed was to lose her balance and injure herself falling down the stairs.

Finally, Ahsoka made it to the hangar level. She cracked the door open just enough to squeeze through the opening. Now, a number of disturbances rippled through the Force. Clones were already in the hangar and opening fire. Ahsoka could only watch in horror as the clones shot down Jedi as if they were battle droids. Although she felt sharp pains of discomfort, she spotted a small ship at the far end of the hangar. She was determined to navigate the chaos to get to the ship and make her escape.

* * *

><p>As this happened, Darth Vader looked on as his clones attacked the Jedi frantically trying to escape.<p>

"Sir, look at this," a trooper said. He handed Vader a set of macro-binoculars. Vader was surprised to see Ahsoka, but not surprised to see her trying to escape.

"You... and you," Vader said, pointing to two troopers on his left, "See to it the Togruta doesn't get out of here alive. Destroy anyone or anything necessary to make it happen!" he commanded them.

"Yes, sir!" the two clones replied emphatically and obediently. One shot laser fire towards Ahsoka. The other armed missiles for destroying the ships still docked inside the hangar.

* * *

><p>Ahsoka turned around as she navigated the chaos of fleeing Jedi and dead bodies. She hoped that what she saw wasn't real.<p>

_ Anakin? No! It can't be! But... but it is?!_ Ahsoka thought. What was he doing with the clones that shot down her colleagues? As she tried to shake off her discomfort, a voice echoed in her head.

_ There are many contradictions in you. And in him. Be warned. You may never see your future if you remain his student!_ her older self warned her on Mortis.

A missile exploded next to a nearby ship and spread shrapnel. Ahsoka narrowly missed being impaled by the airborne shards. Shaken back into the present, she realized she had to escape as soon as possible.

Ahsoka quickly drew her lightsaber, but she didn't ignite it. If she deflected any laser fire, the stray bolts might hit and kill other Jedi. She couldn't and she wouldn't; she was determined to avoid that at all costs.

Ahsoka's montrals buzzed, bringing her back into the moment. She saw laser bolts heading right towards her. Without realizing it, her Togruta survival and flight instincts begun to assert themselves. She leaped into the air and twisted her body so that the bolts raced harmlessly past her. As she landed on the ground, she was set to run again. However, she bumped into another Jedi and dropped her box. She didn't expect him to offer her some sort of hand-held device with two buttons on it.

"Here, take this. Go to the preprogrammed coordinates and press the black button. Go forward, select new coordinates, and then press the green button. Hurry! And may the Force be with you!" he yelled before pushing Ahsoka forward again. She didn't know who had helped her, nor did she have a chance to thank him. Unfortunately, time was of the essence. She picked up her box of possessions and started to run again.

The clones continued their attack and shot down more panicked Jedi. Ahsoka had difficult concentrating because of the pain and death rippling through the Force. Nevertheless, she continued to make her way to the ship.

_ Almost there, can't give up now,_ she thought.

As another explosion knocked her off her feet, she used a leaping somersault to continue moving forward. Thanks to her echolocation, she evaded more laser fire as she reached the ship and quickly entered it. She swiftly powered up the engines the navicomputer. As the former came online, she looked at the strange hand-held device and programmed the coordinates it listed. As she left the hangar, one last explosion provided enough of a diversion and cover for her to leave the Jedi Temple. She flew as fast as she could without overloading the engines. Destroyers appeared to be setting up a blockade. Fortunately, they appeared to ignore Ahsoka. Her ship lacked markings identifying it as a Jedi vessel. Ahsoka looked out at the Jedi Temple through the transparisteel window one last time. The smoke that poured out of the temple haunted Ahsoka.

_ I hope others make it out safely. May the Force be with them,_ she thought. She shook her head before checking her instrumentation and continuing her escape route.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the temple, Darth Vader assessed the carnage. The troopers from the 501st slowly ceased fire.<p>

"Did we get her, sir?" one of the clones asked.

Vader closed his eyes for a moment. "No, she somehow escaped. That's not a surprise, though. I trained her well—too well. But, it won't matter soon," he replied.

"Should we pursue her, sir?"

"No, I will track her myself and send a team or two to intercept her. You did your job here with peak efficiency. I will take over from here."

"Yes sir," the clone replied instinctively.

* * *

><p>Ahsoka made the jump the lightspeed and set the auto-pilot. She didn't know how long it would be until she reached her destination. However, she knew that the longer she traveled, the more likely it would be that someone would track her down again. As the ship cruised in lightspeed, her built-up emotions were ready to burst. In spite of her Jedi training, Ahsoka gave in and let her emotions flow freely.<p>

_ Skyguy, how could you do this? You always rallied against senseless slaughter. Now you're leading it? How could you do this to me? Why would you of all people want me dead?_ Ahsoka thought. As she cried uncontrollably, she felt tears running down her right cheek marking. She then buried her face into her hands.

Ahsoka recalled all the events, good and bad, they experienced together as master and padawan. However, the warning from Mortis was coming true, much to her horror. She felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out. She briefly reached out into the Force. However, she didn't know if something was truly amiss, or if her emotions clouded her judgment.

Ahsoka then did her best to stop crying. She had to think about her future now.

_ If I do end up somewhere else, what will happen to me? What will I do? Will I always have to fear being hunted down and killed?_ she thought. She also wondered if the local natives would accept her. Most importantly, what **would** her destiny be? Without a master now, she would never complete her training and become a Jedi Knight. The uncertainty of her future was enough to start her crying again.

Ahsoka couldn't help to think about Anakin again. He had ordered clones to open fire on her. They were shooting to kill and not to stun. She wasn't sure how she could move past such a terrible betrayal.

An audio alert and a blinking green light interrupted her thoughts. She finally reached the coordinates. She took one last deep breath.

_ I made it! Here goes nothing,_ she thought.


	2. The Will of the Force

Ahsoka looked at the box in the seat next to her. It was all she was able to grab in the chaos at the Jedi Temple. Ahsoka didn't know if it contained what few material possessions she owned or nothing but dust balls. Now wasn't the time to check, however. Ahsoka took the strange box she had been given from her pouch. She was all set to push the black button when a warning klaxon sounded. Two ships dropped out of lightspeed—two clone ships!

_ They followed me!_ Ahsoka thought.

Ahsoka felt shock waves as explosions rocked her ship. The clones had opened fire on her. Ahsoka was determined to leave as quickly as she could. She pushed the black button and an ominous glow formed in front of her. Ahsoka accelerated to enter the glowing portal. She also tried to spin away from the next set of shots directed at her ship.

_ Bad idea,_ Ahsoka thought as she felt the impact of explosions hit her ship.

Red warnings displayed on the ship's instrumentation. The left wing was damaged by the latest barrage of weapon fire. Now, the ship started to spin uncontrollably towards the portal. Ahsoka accelerated the ship and ignored the warning messages. She was almost there when one more shot hit her ship and set it barrel-rolling into the portal. The jolt of the impact had one more effect: Ahsoka involuntarily pressed the green button before she could enter a final destination.

_ Great! Now, I don't know where I'll end up,_ she thought.

Ahsoka noted something unusual. The ship's sensors no longer showed the ships that had been firing on her. She didn't know why they disappeared from her display. She had no time to feel relieved, however. The ship continued to spin out of control. Her instrumentation was solid red. She was convinced every single warning message alternated on the screen now. To make matters worse, her right wing disintegrated. Ahsoka escaped the clone ships, but her victory appeared to be Pyrrhic.

_ So, this is how it ends. If I die, Skyguy, My Force Ghost will haunt you until you become one with the Force. And even after that! _Ahsoka thought as her ship continued its uncontrolled trajectory.

Ahsoka didn't know how long her ship spun uncontrolled. She was unable to check her chronograph, and she figured it wouldn't do much good because she felt as if time had somehow frozen. Some time later, time seemed to speed up again, and she found herself on a collision course with another planet. She found it to look like any other as the ship sped into the atmosphere and hurled itself towards a spread out building. Ahsoka was convinced it would look like a temple if the building had multiple stories to it. She spotted a large open space next to the building. So, she desperately worked her broken controls in a last-ditch effort to avoid hitting the building.

"There is no death, there is the Force," Ahsoka repeated. The ship then hit the ground and Ahsoka saw everything go black.

* * *

><p>"Alright, thanks for telling me," the man said as he ended his call.<p>

He planned to spend time with friends, but many of them were on vacation or otherwise unavailable. It looked like he would have the day to himself now.

_ No matter, I can plan for the upcoming showcase now,_ he thought.

As the Grand Master for the local Jedi Order, he needed to prepare for the summer showcase. The showcase was an event where newly-graduated initiates would present their skills with the Force and a lightsaber. The idea was to show off their readiness to be selected as padawans. Jedi Knights and Masters often attended the showcase to see who they might consider selecting as their padawans. The Grand Master's thoughts were interrupted again when his commlink rang.

"Master, I'm sorry to interrupt you on a Sunday, but we've received word of a plane crash of some sort. We need you to investigate it. I've transmitted the coordinates to you. Response Team Gamma is already on the scene," Ashley, the Jedi Knight in charge of communications, told her superior.

"Thanks. I'm on my way," he replied. He activated his datapad to review the coordinates. As much as he preferred to be given physical locations or addresses, Jedi Orders were now required to report coordinates in the name of improved accuracy, thanks to recent directive. Upon receiving the coordinates for the crash, his jaw dropped.

"Hey, that's the park we were going to go to today!" he said out loud. He knew that the park was very active during the summer months. It had two soccer fields that various teams used on the weekends. If there were games scheduled today, there would be a lot of people there—people that might be injured or generating a frenzy if there was a plane crash. He immediately left for the park, hoping to find a quicker route than his usual one.

Upon arrival at the park, the Grand Master noticed it was empty. A single, nondescript blue van was the only vehicle parked on the street fronting the park. It appeared the response team had already performed the most important first step. As he left his own vehicle, Commander Adams from the response team greeted him.

"Adams, what's the status?" the Grand Master asked.

"Sir, there was a crash, but it looks more like a space ship than a regular plane. We erected the diffraction field. As far as anyone can tell, nothing has happened," Adams replied.

"Good job."

"The ship inside is smoking, though. We tried to open the hatch. But, it's either locked or jammed. I figured this is your area of expertise."

"I understand," the Grand Master replied. He made a mental note to remember the team's efficiency in his incident report.

Commander Adams gave his superior a device the size of a car alarm fob. The Grand Master pushed a button as he hooked it to his belt. It would allow him to pass through the diffraction shield that kept the public from seeing what was inside. As he entered, he saw smoke coming from the damaged ship. Time was definitely of the essence.

He closed his eyes and put his hands forward. As he felt the door and its internal mechanisms through the Force, he moved his hands to open the jammed door. He then used a Force jump to enter the strange ship. Inside, wires arced and smoked. Sparks dropped from the ceiling and arced from electronic panels. He then sensed a presence in the front of the ship.

He was surprised that the pilot was not a human. However, the pilot had a female appearance. Her skin was orange with what appeared to be white tattoos on her face. Instead of hair or ears, she had three striped tails that hung down from her head and two odd looking horns rising from the top of it.

The Grand Master didn't know how serious her injuries were, so he contacted Knight Ashley again and asked to speak to the medical bay.

"Knight Rachel here," the Jedi Healer said.

"Rachel, I need you to come to the accident site. We have an unconscious survivor. I need to know if it's safe to move her. Please note that she is **not** human," he told her.

"I'm on my way!" Rachel responded without saying anything about the last part of the Grand Master's prior statement.

A few minutes later, Knight Rachel arrived with an assistant. With the local Order being relatively small, the Jedi usually addressed each other by rank and first name. After Rachel and her assistant both received the requisite devices, they joined the Grand Master inside the crash scene. Knight Rachel left her assistant outside as she entered the ship.

"Oh, she's not human. This complicates matters," Rachel said as she examined her patient.

"How so?" the Grand Master asked curiously.

"We don't know what she may be allergic to, or if she can tolerate our medicines. Until she regains consciousness, I can't give her medications. The last thing she need is a reaction to our medicine."

"I see," he answered.

Knight Rachel took out her medical scanner and assessed the injured female.

"She has some bruised ribs, possibly cracked, and a possible concussion. There's no broken bones. That's good. And no neck or spinal issues. We can safely transport her back to the med bay for treatment," Knight Rachel determined.

She then signaled her assistant to have a stretcher ready. Both she and the Grand Master removed her safety harness and gently laid her on the floor.

"Look, she has lightsabers," he said as he noticed her waist. He removed one of them from her belt, pointed it outside, and ignited it. The weapon produced a green blade. He extinguished it and reattached it to the woman's belt.

"She appears to be a Jedi," he added.

"We must take her in, then. My Hippocratic Oath requires me to treat her. And, our Order's rules require us to welcome a fellow Jedi as our guest," Rachel said calmly.

"Indeed."

The pair used the Force to carefully remove the patient from the ship. The assistant carefully secured her to the stretcher outside. Finally, the Grand Master and his healer jumped out of the ship. On the way out, the Grand Master had some final instructions for the response team.

"The ship is empty now. Once you get the smoke to stop, transport the ship to hangar #4. Hopefully, it can be repaired, even if it's just the exterior," he said.

"Yes, sir. When we're done, nobody will know there was ever a crash here," Commander Adams replied.

* * *

><p>Knight Rachel and her assistant returned the injured patient to the medical bay. The healer was still shocked by the woman's odd appearance.<p>

After placing her on an examination bed, the assistant removed her lightsabers and locked them in a secure area along with the box that was found with her. Examining the patient while she still had lightsabers on her person was too dangerous for everyone involved.

As the healer began her assessment, she noted her patient's orange skin and the weird white markings on her face. She wasn't sure if they were tattoos, face paint, or something else. She also thought the striped tails and horns that sprouted out her head added to her strange appearance. Her body temperature was 100.5° F [38.0° C]. Rachel didn't know if it was normal, too high, or too low? Her blood pressure was normal by human standards.

Further examination revealed scratches on the woman's forehead and on one of the horns on top of her head. Rachel figured these would heal rather easily. Although she remained reluctant to give the patient any type of medicine, she asked her assistant to start an IV of normal saline solution to prevent dehydration. Despite the woman's odd outer appearance, her internal physiology seemed human enough for Rachel to start healing the more serious injuries.

After the IV was in place, Rachel gently placed her hands on the woman's injured ribs. Even with Jedi healing, the ribs would probably remain sore for another day or two. However, the healing process would ease some discomfort and hopefully speed up her body's natural healing process. A few minutes later, the woman took a deep breath and started coughing. Her eyes opened rather abruptly and revealed two blue orbs that looked at Rachel and her hands very curiously.

"What... what are you doing to me?!" Ahsoka asked. She had a hint of fear in her voice.

"Relax, I'm treating your injuries," Knight Rachel replied reassuringly.

"Where... where am I?"

"Let me get someone who can better explain that you. For now, lie still so I can treat you."

Knight Rachel then turned to one of her medical assistants.

"Get the Grand Master here ASAP. Tell him our patient is conscious now and asking questions," she told the assistant.

The assistant nodded and left to contact the Grand Master.


	3. In a Foreign Land

As Ahsoka regained consciousness and coughed, she did her best to ignore the sharp pain in her side. She wasn't expecting to regain consciousness with someone's hands placed into her side in an attempted to heal her injuries. Expecting an answer to her question inquiring about her whereabouts, she didn't expect the unfamiliar woman to evade the question and behave secretively. Although the woman whispered, Ahsoka's enhanced hearing allowed her to hear what she said as cleary as if it was spoken at a normal tone.

"Get the Grand Master here, ASAP. Tell him our patient is conscious now and asking questions," Knight Rachel whispered to one of her assistants.

_ Grand Master? Is Master Yoda here, too?_ Ahsoka thought. Had other Jedi escaped as she did? After a deep breath resulted in her side stinging again, Ahsoka thought of a more pressing question she needed answered.

"You're a Jedi?" Ahsoka asked nervously. She cleared her throat as she tried to regain her voice.

"Yes. I'm Knight Rachel, the Jedi Order's Healer," Rachel replied.

To know she was with Jedi now shocked Ahsoka. She didn't understand how there could be Jedi on an unknown world. Ahsoka's thoughts were interrupted, though. Rachel put her hands on Ahsoka's side again. The feeling of pressure made Ahsoka wince in pain.

"What's wrong with me?" Ahsoka asked after catching her breath again.

"To start, you have bruised ribs. I'm treating those first to help you feel better and to help speed up the healing process. However, they'll probably still feel sore for the next couple of days. Also, you had a concussion, so I'll treat that as well. It may take a full week for you to be fully recovered from it, though. Finally, you have some small scratches on one of your, umm, horn thingies," Rachel explained.

"They're called **montrals!**" Ahsoka snapped back, thinking, _How does a Jedi Healer not know basic anatomy?_

"I'm sorry, but you're the first of your kind anyone has ever seen here."

"What?" Ahsoka exclaimed in disbelief.

"You are the first of your kind on our planet."

"Where am I, anyways?"

"The planet Earth," Rachel replied. She then moved her hands from Ahsoka's ribs to her forehead. Ahsoka's side still hurt a bit, but she was glad to feel her headache slowly subside.

"What galaxy is this?" Ahsoka asked.

"The Milky Way. Are you familiar with it?"

Ahsoka shook her head no. "I've never heard of it. I guess that means you wouldn't know my galaxy, either."

Knight Rachel didn't answer Ahsoka's comment. Instead, she picked up a clipboard.

"Anyways, you will be here for a couple of more days at the very least. So, I may as well collect some information about you. We can start with your name."

"Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano," Ahsoka replied.

"How do you spell that, Ahsoka?"

"Aurek-Herf-Senth-Osk-Krill-Aurek..." Ahsoka said before being interrupted.

"Wait, those aren't familiar to me. Can you write it down for me?" Rachel requested.

Ahsoka wrote her name in Aurebesh. Unfortunately, Knight Rachel looked more confused at what she thought was hieroglyphic writing. Ahsoka decided to sign her name in the High Galactic alphabet. Fortunately, that gave Knight Rachel what she needed.

"Oh, it's spelled A-H-S-O-K-A," Rachel sounded out. Ahsoka shrugged because those sounds meant nothing to her.

"Ahsoka, I need to know if you are allergic to any medications from your home world. I haven't been able to give you any medicine because I didn't know what you were used to and what you might be allergic to. Instead, I gave you a simple IV so you wouldn't dehydrate."

"As far as I know, I'm not allergic to anything," Ahsoka replied honestly.

"That's good. I can give you something to ease the pain. First, let me take care of those scratches," Knight Rachel stated. She went to put her hand on Ahsoka's right montral, but Ahsoka quickly pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Since you don't know about Togruta anatomy, here's your first lesson. Our montrals are very sensitive to the touch. Even gentle contact can feel uncomfortable. If you need to touch it to treat it, please try to be as gentle as possible," Ahsoka explained.

"Thanks, Ahsoka," Rachel responded. She then gently placed her fingers on Ahsoka's right montral. Ahsoka resisted the urge to squirm in spite of the gentle touch.

As Rachel pulled her fingers away, Ahsoka was pleased to feel no discomfort in her montral. Her healer than added something to the IV bag hanging next to Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka, I've given you a small dose of medicine to start. If you start to feel uncomfortable in any way or have difficulty breathing all of a sudden, let me know right away," Rachel informed her.

Ahsoka nodded.

* * *

><p>A male with a goatee and a curved hilt lightsaber then entered the medical bay. Ahsoka wasn't sure how old he was.<p>

_ If he had a full beard and no spectacles, he might look like Master Kenobi. But why does he have a lightsaber like Count Dooku's?_ Ahsoka thought.

"Master, this is our patient, Ahsoka Tano. As you can see, she's fully conscious now and I've treated her injuries as best as I can for now. I also started a small dose of medicine to be sure she can tolerate it," Rachel told her superior.

"Very good, Rachel," he replied with a nod. He then turned to Ahsoka.

"Greetings, Ahsoka, I'm the Grand Master of our Jedi Order. What's troubling you?" he asked with visible concern.

"I'm sorry. It's just that the only person I ever saw with a lightsaber like yours was a Sith Lord," Ahsoka replied.

The Grand Master chuckled, much to Ahsoka's surprise. "I can assure you I'm **not** a Sith Lord."

As Ahsoka's hand reached to her waist, she confirmed her suspicion.

"My lightsabers! Where are they?" Ahsoka asked worriedly.

"For safety and security reasons, Ahsoka, we have them locked in a secure storage area," he explained. He then beckoned on of the assistants. "Retrieve the lightsabers for me, please," he said.

The assistant returned with Ahsoka's lightsaber and shoto. He handed them to the Grand Master.

"Duel blade practitioner, I see," he mused out loud. "I don't think any of us practice Jar'Kai, but some of our Jedi study it theoretically, myself included," he added.

As he examined Ahsoka's lightsabers closer, he asked, "Did you construct these? I've never seen metal like this before. The craftsmanship is most impressive."

"Only the shoto, Master," Ahsoka answered. However, the word 'master' triggered a flashback in Ahsoka. She looked away and struggled to fight off the tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't get the images of her frantic escape out of her head now.

"Ahsoka, what's troubling you now?" he asked. In the meantime, he had the assistant return Ahsoka's lightsabers to the secure area for safekeeping. Ahsoka didn't reply, aside from a small stream of tears running down her white-marked cheeks.

"Our Jedi Order has an open-door policy. All Jedi are welcome here, even if they are foreign – as is the case for you," he said reassuringly.

"I'm not a Jedi!" Ahsoka snapped back. "I'm a padawan... check that... a **former** padawan!" she yelled. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she held her head in her hands.

The Grand Master could sense Ahsoka's mental anguish. He tried to calm her through the Force.

"What happened?" he asked her.

Ahsoka took a couple of deep breaths. The answer would be painful, but she felt he deserved to know.

"My master turned to the Dark Side. He and his troopers attacked our Jedi Temple. They killed most, if not all, of us. I'm lucky I'm even alive. All I know is that I passed through an inter-dimensional portal of some sort and ended up here on your planet Earth. Now that I don't have a master anymore, my training is over. I'll never get to be a Jedi."

"Once you heal, we would be more than happy to see you complete your training and attain Jedi Knighthood."

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "How can I be... be a Jedi... in a foreign land?" she asked in disbelief.

"I can't speak for your original training process. But once you've been cleared medically, I'd be happy to assemble myself and some of our senior Jedi to assess your skills. It's obvious from your technology that you're from a more advanced world. So, I'm certain you've mastered some skills already. After we assess your strengths and areas needing additional attention, we could then assign you a new master," he told her.

"You'd really do that for me?"

He nodded, answering. "As I said before, all Jedi are welcome here, no matter where their paths have taken them so far. If you do wish to stay with us, you will get the opportunity to complete your journey."

"Thank you," Ahsoka said with a pause. She wanted to address him as "master", but the word still triggered flashbacks.

"It's okay, Ahsoka. If the term 'master' is making you uncomfortable, I won't make you say it for now. However, know that you will be asked to act appropriately if and when you resume your training," he assured her.

"I understand," Ahsoka replied softly.

"Incidentally, I don't see any hair on you. What do you do for a Padawan Braid?"

Ahsoka slowly lifted her head and pointed to her beads and the extended string of silka beads on the right side. He looked at her jewelry curiously as two chains forked off from her headdress and hung on either side of her read head-tail.

"I've never seen beads like this before. They're as beautiful as any we have here," he said.

"Thank you. They're silka beads. Many non-human species in my galaxy will wear them if they lack hair."

"What are these tails that appear to take the place of ears?" he asked. Ahsoka smiled because he didn't refer to them as "thingies."

"They are called either _lekku_ or head-tails."

"I think I like calling them 'head-tails' better. What species are you?"

"I'm a Togruta," Ahsoka answered proudly.

"I'll have our communications expert see what she can learn about your species. I'll also have her give you a datapad with information on Earth, our language, and other essential information. That way, you can become better acquainted with us while you heal."

Ahsoka nodded to show her appreciation.

"I have to go for now, Ahsoka. I'm the guest instructor for one of our initiate classes. I'll be teaching them the basics of Shii-Cho. I hope nobody injures themselves with their training sabers."

Ahsoka giggled. She was relieved to finally know these Jedi had the same concerns as her old Jedi Order did back home.

After the Grand Master left, Knight Rachel used a medical scanner to assess Ahsoka's current medical condition.

"Ahsoka, I forgot to ask what your normal body temperature is. It's 100.2° Fahrenheit right now," Rachel said.

"What is that in Centigrade?" Ahsoka asked.

Rachel performed the conversion. "It's 37.9 Celsius."

"That's about normal. For a Togruta, normal is 37.8° Centigrade, give or take 0.3 degrees [100° ± 0.5° F]."

"Very good. You should rest some more right now. I'll let you know when your datapad is ready. Tomorrow, if you're strong enough, maybe you can get a short tour of our Jedi Order."

Ahsoka smiled. "I think I'd like that," she replied.

As Ahsoka laid down again, her side still stung a bit as she breathed. So, she rolled onto her other side and curled up as best as she could. Still, she remained unsure of what to expect. Yet, she was happy to know these Jedi welcomed her in spite of her different appearance and background. Still, Ahsoka knew it would be difficult to put the painful parts of her immediate past behind her any time soon. She took one last deep breath before her eyes closed.


	4. Meeting Unconventional Jedi

Ahsoka was happy to be able to walk on her own again. She had been promised a tour of the Jedi Order two days ago, on Monday. However, her legs gave out from under her when she stood up and she nearly fell. As a result, Knight Rachel spent the rest of the day and the next day working with her to regain the strength in her legs. Now, Ahsoka felt more like her usual self.

After she returned from having lunch in the dining hall, she saw two people waiting for her in the medical bay: the Grand Master and a female Jedi she hadn't yet met.

"Ahsoka how are you doing today?" the Grand Master asked.

"Much better, Master. I can finally walk on my own again," Ahsoka replied with a smile.

"Very good. Are you ready to take that tour now?"

Ahsoka nodded and turned to Knight Rachel to see if she approved.

"Master, I think she's up to it, but you might want to keep it short," Rachel stated.

The Grand Master nodded. "This is Knight Cara, my former padawan. She will be your guide," he said.

Ahsoka looked at the woman. She seemed not much older than Ahsoka. Also, Ahsoka noticed that her hair was styled like Master Fisto's tentacles.

"Hello, Ahsoka," Cara said.

Ahsoka did her best to bow slightly. "Hello, Knight Cara," she answered.

"Are you ready?"

Ahsoka nodded. Cara took her hand and escorted her out of the med bay. Not only was she happy to be up and around again, she was especially pleased to be able to wear her regular outfit

_Medical robes here aren't very modest, either,_ Ahsoka thought.

"Ahsoka, please let me know if you start to feel tired or such. That way, I can take you back," Cara told her.

"Thanks, Knight Cara, but I **need** to be active again. I hated being idle for so long. I guess it's part of my nature as a Togruta," Ahsoka replied.

Cara blinked her eyes as she nodded. She took Ahsoka into a different corridor.

"Here are our sparring chambers. We have meditation chambers immediately below them in the basement level. This is where we sharpen both or combat skills and our minds," Cara stated.

Ahsoka noticed most of the sparring chambers had their doors open. One chamber had what appeared to be a master and padawan sparring. She wasn't too disappointed that they didn't go downstairs to see the meditation chambers. She didn't expect to visit those too frequently, even if she did join this particular Jedi Order. The pair turned and walked down another corridor.

Cara told Ahsoka, "Here is where we provide academic and Jedi instruction to our children. Our academic sessions are open to local citizens who desire a home school program as well."

"Interesting," Ahsoka answered. She found the idea of Jedi teaching non-Jedi a bit unorthodox yet intriguing. Ahsoka discreetly looked into a couple of the open classroom doors. Although she clearly heard the instructors answering questions about different academic subjects, she avoided looking into the classrooms. If she was truly the only Togruta on this planet, there was no way to know how the human students would react to her appearance. The pair turned the corner and walked down the hall.

"Here are the shared quarters we use for masters and padawans. Unless assigned otherwise, the pairs train four days a week and have a three day weekend break."

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked. The training schedule, as described, confused her.

"Well, Ahsoka, we feel it's important for padawans to have time to themselves and to devote enough time to their academics. So, we allow them to spend three days at home during the week, if they wish and are able to do so."

"You mean they can stay with their families?" Ahsoka asked with disbelief.

Cara nodded.

"Where I come from, younglings found to be Force-sensitive are taken from their parents, never to be seen again. That's so they don't form unnecessary attachments," Ahsoka said. She found herself briefly thinking about her own parents.

_Did they every think about me after Master Plo took me to the temple?_

"Don't get the wrong idea, Ahsoka. We do stress the dangers of attachments. But, it's equally important that our students receive support from their families as they prepare for the path of a Jedi. In addition, being away from home for four days is a good way to see if they can detach themselves from their family for extended periods of time. This shows their readiness to eventually serve the order."

Ahsoka simply nodded. _This is going to take a lot of getting used to, _she thought.

Finally, Cara escorted Ahsoka back to the dining hall.

"I assume you've been in the main dining hall already. Besides daily meals, we hold our receptions here," Cara told her.

"What kind of receptions?" Ahsoka asked.

"We have various gatherings here. We also have small receptions after knighting ceremonies. That way, new Jedi Knights can be greeted and share congratulations with those who helped them reach the milestone. Family and friends are also invited to attend and celebrate."

"Wow," Ahsoka answered in astonishment. "Back home, once our ceremony ended, everyone left in silence and that was it. Is it bad for me to like your idea of a party?" Ahsoka asked.

Cara smiled as she replied, "Of course not. Let's sit down and take a small break before I take you back to the med bay."

"So you were the Grand Master's padawan?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

Cara nodded, saying, "I don't know if I have time to tell you the whole story, but I found out I was Force-sensitive. Through some rather coincidental events, he and I encountered each other and I felt I had to successfully defeat him to prove myself. Luckily, that didn't happen and he convinced me to come learn how to focus myself and learn how to better use the Force. I also became quite the skilled lightsaber combatant along the way, too."

Ahsoka sensed Cara's pride as she shared the story. However, she was shocked to look over at another table and see a male and female Jedi kissing each other right in the open.

"Knight Cara, why did those Jedi kiss each other?" Ahsoka asked in a quiet, discreet voice.

"Because they're married? They even spar together sometimes," Cara replied. She wasn't sure why Ahsoka was so astonished.

"Isn't getting married against the Jedi Code?"

"Ahsoka, it appears your former Jedi Order has some significant differences compared to ours."

"You can say that again," Ahsoka said as her blue head-tail stripes darkened when Cara gave her a stern look.

"As I was **trying** to say, rather than take in all these differences at once, it might be easier for you to learn a little at a time. I can sense how overwhelming this is for you. Besides, I should probably take you back to the med bay before Knight Rachel worries about you."

Ahsoka nodded. She didn't know what to think about everything she'd observed today.

When the duo returned to the med bay, the Grand Master was there waiting for them.

"Ahsoka, I was beginning to wonder where my former padawan took you," he said.

Ahsoka giggled slightly before she replied, "She was showing me around and we took a break in the dining hall before we came back."

"I see. Anyways, Knight Rachel has discharged you from the medical bay. I'll be showing you to you new quarters."

"Really?" Ahsoka asked. She couldn't believe she was going to have quarters of her own.

He nodded. "By the way, are you up for a skill assessment tomorrow? I am anxious to make good on my promise to resume your training. The sooner we know your strengths and areas of improvement, the sooner we can finish your training."

Ahsoka thought about his offer. She wasn't sore anymore. And, she was eager to do some sort of activity again.

"Yes, Master. I'll do it," she replied decisively.

"Excellent. We'll conduct it tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 in sparring chamber number two," he informed her.

As Cara left the med bay, Knight Rachel walked over to Ahsoka.

"Here are your personal effects," the healer told Ahsoka as she gave the latter her lightsabers and the box from her ship.

Ahsoka smiled to be able to clip both her lightsaber and her shoto to her belt again. As the Grand Master walked with her to escort her to her new quarters, she felt more like herself. To be without her lightsabers while she recovered left her feeling helpless.

"So, what did you think of the tour?" the Grand Master asked Ahsoka.

"Well, some of your rules will take a lot of getting used to," she said nervously.

"Oh? Which ones?"

"Letting your younglings and padawans spend time with their families is different. And married Jedi were unheard of where I come from—with very rare exceptions." Ahsoka recalled how the Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi was an exception to the rule. His home planet had a disproportionately low number of males, so he was allowed to be married and have a family strictly out of necessity for his people.

"If it makes you feel better, we do require Jedi wishing to marry to see one of our long-time couples so they can learn the good and bad points. That way, they make an informed decision. We have had other members consider it, but they decided that dedicating themselves to the Force was more important. The key remains that they decided for themselves. I'd prefer not to intervene unless it **does** become a problematic attachment."

"How many married Jedi do you have?"

"Just two couples: the one I mentioned a moment ago and a younger one."

"I saw the latter in the dining hall. I watched them kiss."

"I can sense how awkward that was for you."

They arrived at a door and he opened it. "Here are your quarters. I hope you find them satisfactory," he told Ahsoka.

Ahsoka looked in the room. It was designed for a single person, but had enough space as Ahsoka's personal room back at her former Jedi temple.

"If you have any questions, let me know. For now, you are free to settle in, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka replied. "Wait, I have a question for you. Is there someplace where I can get more clothing? This is all I have," she asked.

"We have a commissary down from the dining hall. I hope they have something to your liking."

With that, Ahsoka stood in her new quarters. She sat down at the table and opened her box. She was curious to see what, if anything, was inside.

She first pulled out her datapad. She was pleased to see it still worked. She also found a holographic image player and a few cartridges for it. The last object she pulled out was an old, red and white, tooka doll. Ahsoka assumed this was from the day she was first taken to the temple by Master Plo. The colors had faded with time, but Ahsoka flashed back to vivid memories of her youth. She tried not to cry, but she felt chills run down her spine and all three of her head-tails.

She then reviewed the contents of the cartridges. She intended to save some images to remember the past events she enjoyed. She quickly erased the images that brought back painful memories. She was determined to put the hurtful parts of her past behind her.

Once that was over, Ahsoka chose to study more about Earth now that she would likely spend the rest of her life on this new planet.

* * *

><p>Later that day, the Grand Master heard his office door chime sound.<p>

"Enter," he called out.

"You wished to see me, Master?" Knight Cara asked as she bowed.

"You can speak informally, Cara. I'd like to know what you thought of Ahsoka during your tour together."

"Well, it will take some time to get used to her appearance."

"I already figured that much. What I want to know is your thoughts on her joining our order."

"Master, may I speak freely?"

"What's troubling you? Usually you give your opinions freely without asking permission," he replied. His former student was known for speaking her mind, even when her opinion was controversial.

"Master, I sensed a darkness about her. Do we really want someone with that kind of presence joining us?"

"Easy, Cara," he replied. "Are you aware her previous master turned to the Dark Side? In that case, it's logical that he would pass some of his own darkness to her through their training. She may not even realize that. Besides, I remember a certain someone who once thought **she** had to kill a Jedi to prove herself as a student of the Force," he recalled.

Cara looked defeated. The person in question was herself.

"Point taken. But even I wasn't as dark as she seems, was I?"

"You're missing the point. If I was so quick to dismiss you for your darkness, we wouldn't be having this conversation. In fact, I'd bet one of us wouldn't be alive today. Even as a Jedi, you still have your reputation of a renegade personality. Yet when the order needs you, you've never disappointed us. At the very least, Ahsoka deserves the same opportunity to prove herself."

Cara blinked her eyes slowly before she replied, "You're right, Master. She does deserve a chance to show she can overcome her adversity. I was wrong to think otherwise."

"No need to apologize, Cara. I did ask for your opinion. But, I'd rather we reserve judgment until we assess her tomorrow. For now, answer this question: do you think she can adapt to our ways and establish herself as one of our Jedi Knights?"

"I do, Master. She just needs someone who can relate to her and temper instruction with some patience," Cara answered him sincerely.

"That's all I need to know for now. See you tomorrow and may the Force be with you, Cara."

"And with you, my former Master."

The Grand Master then made some notes for himself of things to look for during Ahsoka's evaluation. While he intended to be mindful of the situation that brought her to his Jedi Order, he also knew her skill level wouldn't be known until she was challenged. He tried to figure out the proper balance.

_Trade offs, one can never seem to avoid them, no matter what the venue is, _he thought as he deactivated his datapad and left for the day.


	5. Comprehensive Assessment

Even though Ahsoka wasn't a fan of meditation, she spent her morning doing just that. She felt it was important to clear her mind and focus for the afternoon's skill assessment. The idea alone was new and unfamiliar to her, so she wanted to be as prepared as possible.

After she meditated, she walked to the dining hall for lunch. Despite the constant activity there, she still struggled with being different from everyone else. Few people paid attention to Ahsoka as she sat alone at a table in the far corner. Some people gave her an occasional look, but nobody said or thought anything bad or hateful towards her. Still, she could sense the fact they were largely uneasy with a strange being in **their** dining hall.

A small voice broke the silence, asking, "Excuse me, can I sit with you?"

Ahsoka turned her head and saw a young human girl looking at her very curiously.

"Go ahead," she answered politely. The girl smiled happily and started to sit down beside her.

"Here, let me help you with that tray," Ahsoka said. She wasn't sure how the girl could even carry it without dropping anything.

"Thank you!" the girl said gratefully. She looked at Ahsoka again. "Are you the mysterious traveler I heard about?" she asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "I suppose that's me. My name is Ahsoka, though. What's yours, little one?"

"I'm Jenny," the girl answered. She looked at Ahsoka curiously while eating her lunch. She seemed most interested in Ahsoka's face markings and her headdress.

"How old are you, Jenny?"

Jenny held up five fingers. Ahsoka concluded the girl was saying she was five years old. Ahsoka recalled learning that the Earth year had 365 (and sometimes 366) as opposed to her home galaxy's calendar. They also referred to their life days as birthdays.

"Why are you here during the summer? I thought younglings had a break from their studies right now," Ahsoka asked curiously.

Jenny finished a sip of her beverage before she answered, "I'm taking summer home school classes. And I can't wait to continue my Jedi studies again," she answered. Ahsoka was surprised at Jenny's enthusiasm for learning.

"Wow, that's great. Today, I find out if I can finish my training so I can be knighted."

Jenny looked at Ahsoka in awe. "I hope I get to be a Jedi someday, too," she replied in a low voice.

Ahsoka took a chance and gently placed a hand on Jenny's shoulder. Jenny looked at Ahsoka curiously now.

"You'll be one. You just have to work hard and mind your instructors. And from what I've learned so far, you also need to do well with your academics," Ahsoka told her.

Jenny smiled in reply. Ahsoka assumed this meant she liked what Ahsoka said. Ahsoka went to finish her own lunch, but she was interrupted.

"Wow, you have sharp teeth!" Jenny said.

"Don't worry, Jenny. I promise I won't bite you," Ahsoka said. She was impressed by how observant the girl was for her age.

Jenny giggled. "Why are they so sharp?" she asked.

Ahsoka tried to answer her in a way she'd understand. "Where I come from, everyone like me has them because they are hunters," she told Jenny.

"Cool!" Jenny replied excitedly. Ahsoka wasn't quite sure what made her sharp canine teeth so interesting, but she was glad to have someone to talk to, even if it was a five year old initiate.

Ahsoka finished her lunch and stood up. "I have to leave now. It was nice meeting you, Jenny. May the Force be with you," she said.

Jenny smiled one last time. "May the Force be with you, Soka!" she answered. Ahsoka was pleasantly surprised that hearing her name shortened that way didn't trigger any negative flashbacks.

_ I really hope I do see her become a Jedi some day,_ Ahsoka thought.

* * *

><p>Ahsoka reflected on her day some more until the time for her assessment. She then walked to the designated sparring chamber. When she entered, she saw a couple of desks pulled together near the opposite wall. The Grand Master, Knight Cara, and Knight Rachel sat together.<p>

"Hello, Ahsoka. How are you?" Knight Cara asked.

Ahsoka smiled and showed the tips of her sharp canine teeth. "My day is getting better. I had a little girl come up to me during lunch and ask me questions about myself," she said.

"Children tend to bring out the best or worst in us, no?" the Grand Master said reflectively.

_ He's no Master Yoda, but his wisdom is similar,_ Ahsoka thought.

"Do you have any questions?" he asked Ahsoka.

Ahsoka nodded. "What's going to happen?" she asked in reply.

"We will have you do a number of things for us. This is to show us your Force abilities. Some will probably be very simple and easy for you. Others, I hope, will be more challenging. The assessment will conclude with sparring session. The three of us will take notes. Once the assessment is complete, we will review our notes. If all goes well, you will be assigned a new master."

Ahsoka nodded, but she had another question pop in her head.

"What happens if my assessment doesn't go well?"

"Don't dwell on that, Ahsoka," Knight Rachel answered reassuringly. "Should that happen, though, you might be invited to serve the Order as an ordinary person," she added.

"Oh, like the Jedi Service Corps," Ahsoka answered. Her colleagues looked confused at her statement.

"On Coruscant, those that weren't Jedi material were assigned to serve in a civilian role or take what they learned to better society," Ahsoka explained. The trio then nodded in understanding.

"Are you ready?" Knight Cara asked.

"As ever," Ahsoka replied. She took a deep breath.

"First, please recite the Jedi Code," the Grand Master requested.

"What?" Ahsoka asked in disbelief.

"Every hopeful Padawan in our order must recite the Jedi Code from memory. While your past status as a Padawan is duly noted, we still require it as part of your acceptance here in that rank."

Ahsoka closed her eyes and recited:

"There is no emotion, there is peace.  
>There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.<br>There is no passion, there is serenity.  
>There is no chaos, there is harmony.<br>There is no death, there is the Force."

The trio appeared impressed. They then tested Ahsoka's Force abilities. The portion of the assessment that included a ten minute meditation worried her. She felt those ten minutes lasted forever; she could only wonder what kind of notes they recorded about that part of the session.

Finally, it was time to spar. The sparring chamber was well-stocked with training sabers.

"Do you wish you use a training shoto as well?" Knight Cara asked.

"Of course!" Ahsoka replied emphatically. She realized that she probably shouldn't have used such a snippy tone.

Knight Cara left her spot from the behind the tables and Force-pulled a training shoto into her hand before tossing it to Ahsoka. Ahsoka then Force-pulled her own training blade into her other hand. She was surprised to see Cara Force-pull her own training blade into her hand and ignite it. Cara's training blade was a pale shade of green. Ahsoka did the same and ignited her blades: a light blue saber and a gold shoto which was lighter than her own.

"Ready when you are," Cara told Ahsoka as she waited for the first move.

They stood still, sizing each other out. Cara had spoken proudly of her skills, yet Ahsoka was certain her own dual bladed skills might be more than Cara could handle. Ahsoka leaped forward and performed a perfect _jung ma_, sweeping her shoto towards Cara. Cara parried it and attempted a counter-strike of her own. She seemed surprised to see Ahsoka sensing the assault with the help of her montrals. Ahsoka brought both of her blades together to block the strike. Cara then tried to overpower Ahsoka with a series of Djem So strikes. Ahsoka was prepared for this attack as well. The sequence had been drilled into Ahsoka's combat technique long before she was a padawan in her home galaxy. Although Ahsoka blocked all her strikes, Cara counter-struck quickly and knocked Ahsoka's shoto away. It extinguished itself, rolling off harmlessly into a dark corner. Ahsoka paused to see what Knight Rachel and the Grand Master were recording and found a green blade coming right at her head. She had no idea how she blocked it. Knowing that her momentary lapse in defense likely didn't look good, she was determined to redeem herself. Ahsoka switched to her long-favored Shien grip and took Knight Cara by surprise, striking repeatedly and eventually disarming her. Conceding defeat, Cara bowed and Ahsoka returned the gesture.

_ That was easy enough,_ Ahsoka thought.

Her thoughts, however, were picked up by the others. Ahsoka heard the familiar snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting behind her and she turned around. The Grand Master had a training saber of his own.

"If you think defeating my former Padawan in a sparring session is easy, perhaps **I** can be a worthier challenge," he stated calmly before making a Makashi salute and flourish.

Ahsoka tried to recall if she had ever faced Count Dooku in the past. She tried to find a way to defeat the Grand Master. She Force-pulled her shoto back into her free hand and ignited it. The two of them stalked each other a bit, waiting to see who would make the first move. Finally, Ahsoka pressed the attack using more Djem So strikes. She recalled how brute force can cause problems for a Form II practitioner. Ahsoka was surprised that he easily parried her strikes. He then slashed Ahsoka's shoto right out of her hand before she could even use it. It wasn't damaged, but Ahsoka chose not to Force-pull it back into her hand. He then launched his own offensive. He kept Ahsoka on the defensive before her counter-strike swung and missed. They got into a blade lock where he slowly overpowered her until he knocked Ahsoka's other saber out of her hand. She reluctantly conceded defeat.

"You show great skill, Ahsoka, but you also have much more to learn," he stated calmly.

Ahsoka was surprised that he praised her after defeating her. She was disappointed by the defeat, but she exchanged bows with him as was customary after sparring.

"So, what happens, now?" Ahsoka asked.

"We will be reviewing our notes and deciding whether you will be accepted as a padawan and subsequently assigned a master. If you have no more questions, you are dismissed," the Grand Master replied.

"I do have one last question. When will I find out my fate?" Ahsoka asked.

"Later this afternoon."

Ahsoka bowed and then left for her quarters.

On the way there, she stopped at the commissary to get some additional Jedi apparel and clothing. She was slightly disappointed that they didn't have any outfits like the one she was wearing. Instead, she found something else that fit her and some other outfits to wear when she wasn't active. The only thing she couldn't get was hats. None of them were designed with a Togruta in mind, so they didn't fit against her head-tails or montrals.

As Ahsoka checked out, She realized she had none of the local currency they called "dollars."

"You're all set," her check out clerk informed her.

"Are you sure?" Ahsoka asked in surprise.

He nodded. "The Grand Master has provided for your expenses here today to help with your adjustment to our ways. Thank you for shopping here," he answered.

Ahsoka smiled. This was an unexpected surprise. Then again, she remembered his promise to make her transition as smooth as possible. Ahsoka returned to her quarters and changed into one of her new outfits.

* * *

><p>Ahsoka's assessment was complete. The Jedi reviewed their notes so they could discuss them. The Grand Master felt Ahsoka was undoubtedly a very skilled Force-practitioner. He did observe, however, that she struggled with items requiring focus. The meditation period and controlling the orbit of three small balls with the Force seemed to be a big challenge for her to complete successfully. He found her as skilled as anticipated in lightsaber combat – perhaps even more-so. However, Ahsoka's thoughts about easily defeating Knight Cara irritated him. He thought it was due to her previous master's bad habits. Still, he felt he had to step in and teach her the importance of humility by sparring with her himself. He didn't intend to demoralize her, but to impress the idea that there is always room for improvement, especially after her previous distraction.<p>

"So, ladies, what are your thoughts?" the Grand Master asked.

"Master, I think my prior observation about her still stands. She still has much to learn given her age," Knight Cara answered.

"Duly noted. But do you have anything else to offer?"

"She is very skilled with a lightsaber. It's not easy to defeat me in a spar. Still, she needs additional tips with both her offense and her defense."

The Grand Master nodded. "Rachel, what are your thoughts?" he asked his other colleague.

"Master, I'm not sure why you asked me to be part of her assessment, but I agree with Cara," she answered.

"I know you're a healer by trade. And I know you feel ill-prepared to offer a skill critique. But I value your objectivity. Please tell me your impressions."

"Well, she **does** need more work with meditation skills. I sensed her feeling way out her element there. As for her lightsaber skills, I have to defer to Cara and you on that topic."

"I understand. Thanks for your comments. I agree she has a bit to learn. But I feel she will learn more, provided we remain supportive. Therefore, I plan to recommend that she be recognized as a padawan and assigned a master."

"Agreed," both Cara and Rachel replied together.

"It's settled. Rachel, you may leave. Cara, I need to speak to you for a minute," he said.

Knight Rachel returned the med bay. Knight Cara remained in the chamber.

"Yes, Master?" Cara asked curiously.

"Since our first encounter, I knew you had the potential to be a good Jedi. You haven't disappointed me since then, and you've proven yourself to be one of our best Jedi Knights. Now is the time for you to take the next step. I want you to be Ahsoka's master," he said.

The statement astonished Cara. "What? I'm not exactly the teaching type. I know others see me as one of the best sparring partners. And I know I've become a popular guest instructor for our initiates."

"Look at it this way, my former padawan. You yourself said she needs someone with the right amount of patience and experience. I can't think of anyone else better-suited with those traits. Honestly, I think having a female master may be better this time. She definitely needs someone who can help her adapt to life on Earth without too many awkward moments."

"It's one thing to teach initiates the finer points of lightsaber combat, Master. But to train someone one-on-one is totally different."

"Cara, you know I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't have faith in you. You are the right Jedi for this. She's already comfortable around you. And, I think your experience and personality may be what she needs."

Cara pondered all of this carefully. "I'll do it, Master. I can only hope I train her as well as you did me," she replied.

The pair left and the Grand Master prepared for a special meeting of the Jedi Council.

* * *

><p>It was close to dinner time when Ahsoka's commlink activated. The head of communications, a Jedi Knight named Ashley, was on the other end.<p>

"Ahsoka, the council wishes to see you in the meeting chamber," she stated.

"I'm on my way," Ahsoka replied. She went to the meeting chamber and found the Grand Master waiting along with an older male Jedi and a female Jedi.

"Ahsoka, the council has reviewed your assessment. We've decided to accept you into our Jedi Order with the rank of Jedi Padawan," the Grand Master announced.

Ahsoka smiled as she thought, _I did it! I impressed them. But who's going to be my master?_

Knight Cara walked up to Ahsoka and stood alongside of her. Ahsoka wondered what she was doing there.

"You will continue your training under Knight Cara. Your Rite of Acquaintanceship will begin immediately. May the Force be with both of you," he said as he dismissed the pair.

Ahsoka and Master Cara discussed moving into their shared quarters. Ahsoka found it surreal to know her training would resume again. She also hoped that this would mean she would no longer feel as alone and isolated as she had leading up to today. Ahsoka found herself with one last question as they walked together.

"Master Cara, what is this Rite of Acquaintanceship?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'll explain it as soon as we're moved in together, Padawan," Cara replied.

Ahsoka smiled upon hearing someone refer to her as a padawan again.


	6. Acquaintanceship

Ahsoka found it surreal to be named a Jedi Padawan again. As she gathered her belongings, she wondered what training under her new master would be like due to the major differences in this particular Jedi Order.

When Ahsoka arrived at her new quarters that she'd be sharing with her master, Cara was already there unpacking her belongings.

"Choose a side, Padawan Ahsoka," Master Cara said, pointing to the beds on either side of the sleeping area.

Ahsoka noticed a partition to ensure privacy from the main area. She chose the bed on the right side and she put her clothing in the dresser. Next, she placed the small box of her possessions on top of the dresser. Meanwhile, Cara moved her essential belongings to the left side. When both finished, they sat down at the table in the middle of the room.

"Master, what is this 'Rite of Acquaintanceship?'" Ahsoka asked curiously.

Cara blinked before she responded. "In our Jedi Order, we feel it's important for a master and a padawan to get off to a good start. When they are first paired together, they spend the remainder of the day and the next day getting to know each other. That way, both have a feel for each other before any training takes place," she explained.

"Interesting. I wish my old order did this," Ahsoka replied. She thought about her own first day as a padawan and her master's initial reluctance to accept her.

Sensing Ahsoka's thoughts, Cara asked, "Is something troubling you, Ahsoka?"

"It's just that when I was assigned as a padawan before. I could have used something like this. My master acted like he didn't want me at first. We got off on the wrong foot with each other. We eventually bonded, but it was still rough at first," Ahsoka replied. She took a deep breath to try to remain calm.

"That's exactly why we do this, to avoid that situation. I am curious though. How did you anticipate nearly every move I made during our spar?"

"Oh that," Ahsoka answered. She pointed up to her montrals. "My montrals are hollow and they give my species a sense of passive echolocation. I can sense objects and movements around me with them. So, I have a bit of an advantage with that." She then smiled enough to reveal the tips of her sharp canine teeth.

"So **that** explains it. I see sparring with you will be quite the challenge. Still, I look forward to it. You're quite skilled at Jar'Kai for a padawan. How old are you?"

"Eighteen standard years."

"That's not too far off, then. Most of our padawans are knighted around the age of 18 or 19."

"Really? Where I come from, most become padawans in their mid-teens for as long as ten years," Ahsoka said in amazement.

Cara looked on in awe before answering, "We do it the way we do so that a knighted Jedi has the chance to study advanced academics for two to four years or so afterward, should they wish. That way, the Jedi can bring additional skill and knowledge to the Order."

"I hope my being 18 already isn't an issue," Ahsoka said nervously.

"It won't be. After all, I was almost 20 when I started my training. And look where I am now," Cara calmly assured her.

Ahsoka sensed something odd. Fearing the worst, her anxiety made her draw an incorrect conclusion.

"You don't want me either?" Ahsoka snapped.

"Ahsoka, that's not true. There's no need to be snippy about things you don't completely understand," Cara replied.

Ahsoka, upon hearing the word "snippy," looked away and turned her head.

"Ahsoka, what's wrong?" Cara asked. Ahsoka's reaction concerned her.

Ahsoka took a couple of deep breaths. "My old master used to call me 'Snips.' In a way, I deserved it. But given how my species tends to have an aggressive personality and hunter ancestry, there were times I didn't like being called that. Hearing it again gave me a flashback," Ahsoka explained.

"I'm sorry Ahsoka. I didn't know. I promise I won't say that to you anymore," Cara promised.

Ahsoka nodded. "It's fine. But please tell me why I sensed you didn't want me as a padawan," she said.

Cara took a deep breath of her own. "Ahsoka, that's not true. If anything, I'm more nervous for myself than anything. You're my first padawan. I'm nervous about that a lot. It wouldn't matter who my padawan was. Right now, I feel a lot of self-doubt more than anything," she stated.

"You wanted to train me?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

"I'll admit it took some convincing from my former master, but I accepted you willingly. We're not parting ways until you're knighted. He took a big chance with me when nobody else would—and it paid off. Now, it's my turn to do the same for you. I just hope I can be the good and patient instructor he was."

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied. "Master, now that we have the time, can you tell me your story about becoming a Jedi?" she asked with a slight grin.

Cara smiled before beginning her story.

"I can't remember if I was 18 or 19 now when I realized something was different about me, though I wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't until one day when I realized I had forgotten something and it flew into my hand without warning that I realized it was more than just a feeling. I tried to do some research to see what was happening to me. Unfortunately, I think I accessed some bad information on the internet. I was convinced that I had to kill a Jedi to prove myself. I also found plans for constructing a lightsaber and synthetic crystals and did that with surprising ease.

"One day, I was exploring an abandoned green space when I felt another strong presence. I hid in the wild growth off to the side. It was a Jedi and I felt I finally had the opportunity I needed. Unfortunately, his focus and discipline meant I was no match for him and he dispatched me easily in spite of being a Jedi Knight. I truly expected him to kill me in defeat, but he sensed that I wasn't a bad person inside, just misdirected, unfocused, and undisciplined.

"He brought my back to the Jedi Order and ended up as my master simply because nobody else wanted to train me on account of my darker, uncertain background. But as you can see, I'm now one of the order's most respected Jedi and the unofficial battle-master, even if I'm still just a Knight rank-wise."

The story astonished Ahsoka. "Wow, Master. I had no idea," she replied.

Cara continued her story. "When we first assessed you, I sensed a darkness, perhaps from your prior master. I'm ashamed to admit I had my reservations about you, but after being reminded about my past, I realized that you could overcome it as I did with the proper guidance."

"I guess we're both special padawans, for lack of a better way to put it." Ahsoka replied calmly.

Cara nodded. "I hope this doesn't come out wrong, but I feel I can relate to your situation, even if it's not identical to mine. You **are** more skilled than I was at your age. I still think I can be mindful of both of our pasts and help you see knighthood," she said.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me."

"Ahsoka, just promise me one thing: if I say or do anything that brings back any uncomfortable memories of your past, please tell me. I don't want to make things any rougher for you than they already are."

"I promise, master," Ahsoka replied. She felt relieved knowing her master was willing to give her a chance to prove herself as the Jedi Knight she wanted to become.

For the rest of the day, the pair continued to talk and learned more about each other. Ahsoka was a bit unhappy to hear she was going to have to meditate on a regular basis and more frequently than she did in the past. However, Cara assured her that she try to make it a more pleasant activity.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Ahsoka and her master returned from dinner at the dining hall. Cara was reviewing a datapad.<p>

"What are you doing, master?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, Ahsoka, besides continuing your Jedi training, I want to do what I can to make your transition to Earth life as smooth as possible. Even though, you're 18, I plan to enroll you in our home school academy and have you take a couple of courses so you can learn more about our history and life here. Also, I'll do my best to answer your questions," Cara replied.

"Master, what will happen when we go on missions?"

"Don't be afraid, Ahsoka. I won't lie to you: people **will** notice your unusual appearance. Some may even be suspicious of you. But I will let them know you're my padawan and they should treat you appropriately as such," Cara assured her.

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied. She felt better hearing her master say "my padawan" to her.

"Master, when will my academic studies begin?" Ahsoka asked.

"It's too later to start for the summer. They will begin this fall."

Ahsoka nodded. This made sense to her.

"It's getting late, Ahsoka. Let's call it a night. What do you plan to do this weekend?" Cara asked.

Ahsoka thought over her answer. She remembered what her master said about weekends being for family. However, she had no family on Earth, so she didn't know what to do.

"Master, can we do any training this weekend? I don't have family, so the sooner we start the better," Ahsoka suggested.

"Well, I have plans for Sunday, but we could train a little on Saturday—just this once, though. Weekends are your free time to relax or study. It may also be a good time to meet some of our other Jedi," Cara replied.

"We'll see," Ahsoka said in a noncommittal tone. She felt her master had a point. Now that she was a padawan again, people greeted her more. Ahsoka was happy to feel less isolated now.

Ahsoka went into the refresher, what the Earth Jedi called a bathroom, and changed for the evening. She removed her headdress and placed it on a small nightstand. Once Master Cara turned the lights out, Ahsoka curled up into a ball in the middle of her bed. She then pulled the covers over herself with only the blue tips of her montrals slightly showing at the top of the bed. Human beds definitely weren't made for Togruta. If Ahsoka tried sleeping in them as humans normally did, her montrals would be squished against the headboard. That was **not** exactly a comfortable feeling.

Still, Ahsoka looked forward to tomorrow's continuation of the Rite of Acquaintanceship. She also felt eager to resume her training over the weekend.


	7. Revised Training

On the way back from a mid-December mission, Ahsoka found herself thinking about it and the previous two missions with which she accompanied her master.

For her first mission, Ahsoka helped her master investigate an abandoned building for possible Sith activity. News that Darth Stinger, the Jedi's adversary, was a female shocked her. They didn't encounter the Sith lady, but the mission was declared a success nevertheless.

Her next mission, a rescue and relief mission, posed a challenge. Ahsoka didn't realize her new Jedi Order often sent Jedi to other countries to help with natural disasters. Tasmanian officials expressed reluctance to let Ahsoka into the country while she had refugee status. However, some last-second negotiations resulted in Master Cara and her padawan being granted entry on humanitarian grounds. Ahsoka's appearance resulted in many suspicious looks and questions, even after her master's assurances. However, Ahsoka earned their trust and respect after she located a number of survivors trapped in the rubble, thanks to what she could sense through her montrals.

Ahsoka sighed, though, as she thought about the latest mission—the one from which they were presently returning home. In Ahsoka's opinion, the mission was a complete failure. A mission intended to determine the feasibility of establishing a new Jedi Order in the western United States ended abruptly. The Jedi she and her master met took one look at Ahsoka and refused to welcome the two of them. Ahsoka hung her head as she recalled him calling her a "freak apprentice." She still didn't know how she walked away without snarling or baring her sharp canine teeth at him. Yet, Ahsoka took pride in knowing that she was probably more skilled in the Force than he was—and ever would be.

Back in the present, Master Cara sensed her padawan's turmoil.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, padawan," Cara said reassuringly.

Ahsoka still had her doubts. "I don't know, master. Being the only Togruta here is causing more problems than it's worth. Maybe I should just stop and serve the order as a civilian," Ahsoka said in a dejected tone.

Master Cara abruptly stopped their vehicle. Ahsoka was glad she was in her safety harness.

"Ahsoka, as long as you're my padawan, there will be **no** talk of quitting. If that other Jedi was so narrow minded that he won't establish a new Jedi Order without our help, we're a lot better off," she stated sternly.

Ahsoka nodded quietly. She didn't know what else to do. She knew her master was correct. To give up now would do nothing but validate everyone's criticisms and prejudiced attitudes. Ahsoka found herself determined not to give them that satisfaction.

The pair returned to the Order and presented their post-mission report. Master Cara had additional details to share before the pair was dismissed and ate lunch. Afterward, they sparred toegher. Unfortunately, it didn't go well. Ahsoka's disappointment over the failed mission carried over into her sparring. After defeating her student more than usual, Cara decided to end the session early and not demoralize her padawan any further.

Back in their shared quarters, Cara asked, "Ahsoka, what's wrong? Is it the mission? You don't need to think about that guy anymore."

"No, master, it's not that," Ahsoka said with a sigh.

"What's wrong then?" Cara asked. Ahsoka, however, just shook her head.

Master Cara felt frustrated by the lack of a response, but she tried to hide it.

"I need to see the Council now. Will you be okay?" Cara asked.

Ahsoka nodded in acknowledgment.

* * *

><p>The failed mission still shocked Master Cara. As tempted as she was to tell her former master that the Jedi she met didn't deserve their support because of his prejudices, she knew an emotional outburst would accomplish nothing.<p>

In reality, she wasn't planning to discuss the mission any further. Instead, she wanted to share her concerns with Ahsoka. Up until the mission, Ahsoka's training progressed very well. Sure, missions were always a challenge as others were reluctant to trust Ahsoka because she was a Togruta. But Ahsoka's advanced skills and unique abilities proved her trustworthiness to her skeptics.

Cara also felt something was off about Ahsoka even before they left for the mission. She refused to discuss the matter, leaving Cara unsure of what to do next. She thought long and hard about the situation and decided that if she needed to be replaced as Ahsoka's master, it was the will of the Force.

Before Cara could knock on her superior's door, the Grand Master called out, "Come in."

"Master, I need to talk to you about something. I'm not sure how to say it," Cara said.

"Your mission?" he asked. "If those other Jedi don't want our help in establishing a new Jedi Order, so be it. But we won't forget this should they request assistance again. We may be many, but we are one," he said. He held his hands and held them together with interlaced fingers to illustrate his point. "They must never forget that," he added.

"It's not that, Master. It's Ahsoka. I fear I'm not the teacher either of us thought me to be."

The Grand Master looked at his own former padawan. "What do you mean?," he replied.

"Before this mission, she's seemed more reserved. And I'm not sure, but her white stripes look a bit gray, too. Earlier today, I defeated her in a sparring session more readily than ever," Cara explained.

"Hmm, the last **is** cause for concern, if not the other factors. But, I don't think it's a reflection on her instruction," he assured her.

"What do we do, Master? It frustrates me to not know what's going on. She can even block me from sensing her emotions," Cara explained.

"She's probably the most skilled padawan we've ever had. Up until now, you've done a very good job training her. So, I don't think you're the problem here."

The two of them chuckled. Cara had to agree with her former master; she had done her best to teach Ahsoka through today.

"Alright my former Padawan, I will talk to Ahsoka to see what the root cause is, if possible. But first, I need to check something. Hang in there, Cara. I sense you've recently told her not to give up, so it's time for the Master to follow her own advice," he assured her.

Cara nodded, replying, "Yes, Master," before she left.

After Cara left, the Grand Master reflected on the meeting. As far as he knew, Ahsoka proved herself an eager student. Her Jedi training and her academic studies has been satisfactory to that point. He also thought about the times he saw her in the dining hall. Ahsoka seemed to interact with more people who in turn better accepted her as one of their own.

He decided to first contact Knight Ashley. Besides being in charge of communications, she was a true computer whiz and research expert. If she couldn't locate information, it meant the data didn't exist anywhere for the public to find it.

"Yes, Master?" her voice asked on the other end of his commlink.

"Ashley, did you ever find out anything about Ahsoka's Togruta species?"

"I found some information, yes. But given how she ended up here, it was very limited."

"Please transmit it to my office's desk terminal. I'd like to review it."

"Yes, Master." she replied.

A few minutes later, the data was ready for him to review. Most of what he read was nothing new. He already knew she had montrals, sharp teeth, and three head-tails. He was surprised to see some Togruta had four, though. He didn't realize her tail stripes darkened or brightened to reflect certain moods or emotions. As he read the next paragraph, though, he noted something significant on the display:

_ Togruta have an aversion to isolation, so they make efforts to have friends around for companionship._

Satisfied he learned what he needed to know, he summoned Ahsoka to his office. She arrived promptly.

"You wish to see me, Master?" She asked curiously as she sat down.

"Ahsoka, your master talked to me earlier and she's concerned about you," the Grand Master said calmly.

Ahsoka sighed. "I'm fine. Really, I am," she answered.

"Ahsoka, you know I'm a Jedi, too. I can sense your inner turmoil that you're trying to hide. Something is going on. Is your master doing anything she shouldn't—"

"No!" Ahsoka replied emphatically, cutting him off. "She's been good to me," she added in a normal voice.

"It's OK, Ahsoka. I asked only to rule that out, that's all. However, I've reviewed some information about your species."

Ahsoka looked at him curiously. She thought, _What has he learned about me?_ As she made eye contact with him, the arches above her eyes curved inward as her brow wrinkled.

"Oh?"

"I see that your species thrives in groups. Tell me more about your previous training."

Ahsoka remained quiet.

"Ahsoka, I have a reason for asking this. Something isn't right, and it's my duty to address it, if I can. You can be candid with me without fearing any retribution against yourself or your master."

The comment relieved Ahsoka, even if it didn't help her feel better. Still, she answered him.

"Master, when I trained at Coruscant, the Jedi Temple was much larger. There was activity all the time, even when Jedi were away on missions or fighting in the war. After I was made a Padawan and had an active role in the war, I was always around others, even if it was just the clones."

_ Clones?_ The Grand Master thought as she continued.

"Your Jedi Order is much smaller. I'm still not used to that. I'm used to being around the equivalent of your entire Jedi Order."

"It sounds like my suspicions were correct. You're feeling the isolation your species tries hard to avoid. But, why didn't you tell you master this?"

Ahsoka looked away and her blue head-tail stripes darkened.

"I was afraid if I told her how to teach me, it would be insubordination. One big difference here is that you emphasize respect for one's master. I can't disrespect her, not after everything she's done for me so far," she replied.

"Ahsoka, I assure you, it's not disrespectful to mention this. You've told us important information about yourself and your species in the past. We only know what you've shared about yourself, plus the limited information we found on our own. I hope that from now on, you will tell us, whether it's your master or someone else, if there is anything we need to keep in mind about you."

"I promise, Master." Ahsoka said, cracking a slight smile.

"Now, I need to figure out what to do so you don't feel so lonely. Master Cara will continue to train you, but I will speak to her about doing something unprecedented, but necessary, for your success," the Grand Master informed her.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll make provisions for you to get additional instruction from other Jedi, including myself. We need to accelerate some of your academic studies to include information about other Earth cultures. It's my fault for not including that before sending you abroad. This should provide the additional instruction and social interaction you need. I hope this will work better for you."

Ahsoka smiled. "I think that might work. It can't hurt. Thanks," she answered before bowing.

They both stood up and shared a quick hug.

"May the Force be with you, Padawan Ahsoka."

"And with you too, Master," Ahsoka responded.

* * *

><p>In the following weeks, Ahsoka seemed to do better with the team approach to her training. Master Cara continued to serve as her master and still defeated Ahsoka from time to time in their spars. However, she observed noticeable improvements in her padawan's skills. Even though Ahsoka still didn't like meditation as much as the rest of her training lessons, she learned to better appreciate its importance under the direction of the Grand Master.<p>

Master Cara also added lessons in World History to Ahsoka's home school studies. Ahsoka looked forward to her lessons even though she was older than everyone else in the study group.

Also, Knight Rachel had Ahsoka come to the medical bay for a complete medical scan. Having a detailed scan of her internal physiology and normal vital signs would prove valuable in the event of a serious injury or medical emergency. Ahsoka could only chuckle as she imagined Knight Rachel reviewing the scans.

* * *

><p>Ahsoka put down her datapad after submitting her latest World History quiz. A holiday known as Christmas was a few days away. Except for essential staff and senior Jedi, everyone else was already on leave for the holiday.<p>

Master Cara had already told Ahsoka she would spend time with her family. Ahsoka had no idea what she'd do on Christmas Day, but the idea of spending the day by herself didn't bother her—much to her surprise.


	8. Ahsoka Faces the Mirror

**Chapter Date: **August 2012 AD (18 BBY/17 GrS)

* * *

><p>Master Cara presented Ahsoka to the Jedi Council as ready to complete her trials. Cara's request that the council consider waiving some of Ahsoka's trials surprised them. Still, they listened to Cara's comments that Ahsoka's prior experiences from her home galaxy should be combined with her experiences since she joined their own Jedi Order. After taking a break to consider Cara's request, the council was ready to announce its decision. After Cara and Ahsoka rejoined the council, the Grand Master was ready to speak.<p>

"The Council recognizes Padawan Ahsoka as completing the Trial of Skill. She arrived with strong lightsaber skills and she has improved them in her time with us. Additionally, we recognize her completion of the Trials of Flesh and Courage. Coping with her former master's turn to the Dark Side and her subsequent acclimation to life on Earth has been duly noted. However, approval of both was narrow," he announced.

"How narrow was it, Masters?" Cara asked.

"It was a very close 2-1 vote. There was considerable debate that this could only count towards one trial and not two."

"What happens now?"

"We will arrange for you to take Ahsoka for her Trial of Insight in two days. If she completes that, she will face her final trial within two to three days after that."

"Very well," Master Cara replied. With that, both she and Ahsoka bowed and left.

* * *

><p>Two days after the meeting, Ahsoka was given her trial of insight at site in Canada. Ahsoka initially found the site to be quite ordinary. However, she quickly discovered the area to be misty and foggy. She was challenged by strange illusions, but trust in her instincts and the Force helped her successfully separate reality from illusion.<p>

Today, two days after she completed her Trial of Insight, Ahsoka waited to take her final trial—the Trial of Spirit. Ahsoka didn't know what to expect because this Order considered it the most important trial. Master Cara explained that successfully facing the mirror proves oneself worthy to confront any challenge. Ahsoka understood the rationale even though her former order had a different approach.

After a knock on the door, Cara opened it. A male Jedi was standing at the doorway.

"Padawan Ahsoka?" he asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "That's me," she answered.

"It is time for your next trial. Please come with me."

Master Cara remained silent, but she smiled in reassurance. Ahsoka followed the other Jedi to the basement level. There, the Jedi escorted her to a chamber set apart from all the other meditation chambers.

"Are you ready to face the mirror?" He asked calmly.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Ahsoka answered with a nod.

"I think almost every Padawan says that. You will need to leave your belt and sabers behind, though."

The request surprised Ahsoka; she didn't understand why her proctor made it. Still, she removed her belt, and with it, her lightsabers, pouches, and her Togruta sash. She felt out-of-place without her sash because it was the only thing she had to remind her of her heritage, aside from her headdress.

He held onto her belt and told her, "You may enter and sit in the middle of the chamber whenever you're ready. May the Force be with you, Padawan Ahsoka."

Ahsoka entered the chamber. There were no windows and no lights. She was unsure if the lights were off or if the chamber was intended to be dark. Between using the Force and the echolocation of her montrals, Ahsoka found the center of the chamber and sat cross-legged. She didn't know if she was supposed to meditate or not, so she decided to close her eyes. After an unknown period, she heard a voice that made her head-tails twitch in horror.

"So, they actually allow Togruta filth on this pathetic planet," the voice echoed.

_ No. It can't be, can it?_ Ahsoka thought. She opened her eyes and confirmed her fear. Asajj Ventress stood in front of her.

"How did you get here, Bog Witch?" Ahsoka asked as she snarled and bared her sharp canine teeth.

"Does it really matter?" Ventress calmly replied. "Besides, we both know you don't have what it takes to be a Jedi, so why don't I take care of that and finish you off here and now," she added with a sneer. She drew her lightsabers and ignited them. To Ahsoka's horror, she joined them together, forming a curved saberstaff that she twirled easily.

Ahsoka gulped knowing she was defenseless. However, she somehow found her lightsabers when she instinctively reached down to her waist. Ahsoka wasn't sure how they ended up there when she originally left them behind. But at the moment, that didn't matter. Ahsoka ignited both her blades and held each in a reverse Shien grip. Unlike her former master, Master Cara didn't discourage Ahsoka's unorthodox grip.

Ventress spun her saberstaff at Ahsoka, who had trouble defending against it. Ahsoka blocked it with her shoto. Ventress however, twirled her blades in the opposite direction before Ahsoka could counterattack with her lightsaber. Ventress was determined to tire Ahsoka, who didn't know what to do. Desperate for an advantage, Ahsoka tossed her shoto aside. It extinguished itself is it hit the floor and rolled away into the darkness.

"Giving up so soon? Now this **is **something," Ventress growled.

Ahsoka felt more in her element with just one lightsaber. She took a number of strikes as Ventress was now on the defensive. As the interlock between her sabers weakened, Ventress held them in separate hands again. Ahsoka continued her attack, but Ventress simply blocked Ahsoka with one of her sabers while she swung with the other. Ahsoka narrowly avoided the blow, but it was close enough to her body that it burned the lower part of Ahsoka's left head-tail. Ahsoka yelped as the pain shot through the sensitive nerve endings.

Ventress smiled in pleasure to see Ahsoka's pained look. She pressed a stronger attack that caused both combatants' blades to spark violently as they started to grind against each other. Ventress went to strike with her second blade and Ahsoka leaped backwards only to have Ventress force a blade-lock. Ahsoka gulped as Ventress' two blades pressed forcefully against her single green blade. For once, Ahsoka feared she just might die at the hands of the assassin.

"Asajj Ventress, assassin and now slayer of the filthy Ahsoka Tano, strikes again," Ventress hissed. She pressed her blades more forcefully against Ahsoka's and pushed them back towards the padawan. Ahsoka strained just to keep from being burned or maimed by her own blade.

Suddenly, Ahsoka realized something. Before Ventress could react, Ahsoka reached out with the Force and pulled her shoto to her free hand. Ahsoka would regret her decision, though. With one hand on her lightsaber, she couldn't hold off Ventress. Ahsoka felt a lightsaber blade nick her shoulder as she ignited her shoto and ran it through Ventress' stomach. Ventress groaned and collapsed to the floor.

Ahsoka shrieked in pain at the sensations searing through her shoulder and head-tail. She fell down and collapsed when she tried to stand up again.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Master Cara completed her non-training tasks for the day. She decided to go check on her padawan's progress with her final trial. The proctor was still there waiting outside the chamber. All of a sudden, the silence was pierced by a loud scream. Cara sensed Ahsoka falling to floor. She was drained physically and emotionally.<p>

"Go ahead, she obviously needs you now," the male proctor told Cara.

Master Cara opened the door and turned on the light. She found Ahsoka collapsed on the floor near one of the walls. Cara went to hold Ahsoka, but was concerned she might hurt or injure her head-tails if she held Ahsoka too closely. She tried to hold Ahsoka as gently and carefully as she could. A few minutes later, Ahsoka slowly regained consciousness and started squirming in her master's arms.

"Easy, Ahsoka. It's okay," Cara said to reassure Ahsoka.

"She... she... Master?" Ahsoka replied. She still appeared disoriented and unaware of her surroundings.

Cara gave Ahsoka a minute to regain her wits. She also smiled and sent positive waves through the Force.

"Tell me what happened," Cara said calmly.

Ahsoka looked around with a confused look. "Where is she? Where's my belt?" she asked.

At this point, the proctor was standing with Cara. He handed Ahsoka her belt, but it didn't seem to allay her confusion.

"She who?" Cara asked. She didn't know what Ahsoka was talking about.

"Ventress. She was here, wasn't she?"

Ahsoka, the only person in the chamber was you. Nobody else was in here until I came in after I sensed you collapse."

"You mean the Bog Witch wasn't here?" Ahsoka asked. She seemed more confused than before.

Cara shook her head. "I don't know any 'Bog Witch.' if she was here, it's because you brought her here," she replied gently.

Ahsoka still looked on in disbelief.

"Ahsoka, when you face the mirror, you have to confront the doubt and fear you bring with you. Apparently, who—or what—you're talking about was significant enough to become part of your experience," Cara told her.

Ahsoka looked at her shoulder and one of her head-tails. "So, I didn't really have a lightsaber battle? Thank the stars I'm not hurt," she said.

Cara realized Ahsoka was calming down. She wanted to see what she could learn about her padawan's experience.

"Tell me what happened," Cara asked again.

Ahsoka blinked her bright blue eyes. "I was confronted by a Sith Assassin from my other galaxy. She taunted me and said I wasn't ready to be a Jedi. She was determined to kill me and we had a lightsaber battle. At least I thought we did. She injured me a couple of times before I could finally strike her down," she replied.

Cara gasped slightly. She wasn't expecting Ahsoka to have this kind of experience. She was set to hold Ahsoka again, but was nervous about holding her comfortably. Ahsoka sensed her master's concern.

"Master, it's okay. They're flexible and hollow. You can't hurt them with simple contact," Ahsoka explained.

Cara gave her padawan a comforting hug. She could sense Ahsoka slowly regaining her composure.

"Ahsoka, I can't speak about your experience, but it looks like your worst fear was that you couldn't defeat a powerful Sith. But it looks like you overcame your fears and proved yourself."

Ahsoka smiled. "I hope I never have a duel like that any time soon, master. Lightsaber wounds are too painful," she replied seriously. "Does this mean I passed the trial?" she asked more curiously.

The proctor nodded. Ahsoka finally reattached her belt to her waist. She then gave a smile that revealed the tips of her sharp canine teeth. The white stripes on her head-tails started to brighten.

"I will inform the Council you have successfully faced the mirror. They will notify you with the date and time of your knighting ceremony. Congratulations, Padawan Ahsoka, and may the Force be with you," the proctor said. He then left to carry out the last of his duties.

Ahsoka slowly stood up. She and her master left together.

* * *

><p>On the way back to their shared quarters, Master Cara and Ahsoka shared a happy conversation.<p>

You did it, Ahsoka. Soon you will be one of us," Cara said.

"Thanks, master," Ahsoka replied. "For something that never happened, that was some pretty strong illusion I saw," she added.

"Facing the mirror takes your strongest emotions and reflects them back to see how well one handles them. Now you see why Jedi need to keep their emotions balanced."

Ahsoka nodded as they arrived at their shared quarters.

"Ahsoka, go change into something more comfortable. Instead of the dining hall, I'm taking you someplace for an early knighthood celebration," Master Cara told her padawan.

Ahsoka smiled again. She still couldn't believe Ventress was nothing more than an illusion, but she was awestruck to know she passed the Jedi Trials. While she realized her path to knighthood was more challenging than she ever imagined it to be, she was still quite pleased.

Ahsoka changed into a brown dress she recently spotted and bought at the Jedi Commissary. She looked at herself proudly in the mirror. At 19 years old, her head-tails now reached the top her stomach. Her rear head-tail now stopped ¾ of the way down her back. Her montrals had grown enough that each sported an additional blue stripe. Ahsoka also noticed her white stripes glowed on account of how happy she was at the moment. Ahsoka then rejoined her master.

"Do you ever wear any other shoes besides boots?" Master Cara asked playfully.

"Nope," Ahsoka answered with a giggle.

The pair went to a local Italian Restaurant. Ahsoka wasn't sure what to order as it was her first time eating away from the Jedi dining hall.

"Something wrong, Ahsoka?" Cara asked curiously.

"I don't know what to get. I don't think I've eaten any of this before," Ahsoka replied truthfully.

I have an idea. I'll order something for the both of us and keep it simple so I know you'll like it," Cara promised.

Cara ordered a large pepperoni pizza for the both of them. While they ate in silence, Ahsoka didn't mind. She was proud to have finally completed her training with additional help and support from her new Jedi Order.

On the way out, a few people looked at Ahsoka suspiciously or curiously. A couple even snapped photos of her as she walked with her master. But Ahsoka didn't seem to mind, or she was oblivious to the din about her.

The pair had just returned to their shared quarters when Ahsoka's commlink activated.

"Ahsoka, congratulations on passing the Trials. Your ceremony will be this coming Monday, and you will spend the day in meditation after breakfast until you are summoned. Lunch will be brought to you," the Grand Master stated.

"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka replied as she instinctively bowed.

"You had a long day, my soon-to-be former padawan. Let's sleep early tonight," Cara suggested.

Ahsoka nodded. She felt drained after the day's events. But she felt her upcoming knighthood was well worth it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Commentary:<strong> I was hoping to have this chapter posted for Leap Day 2012. However, I didn't finish the chapter until it was late in the day, and I wanted to proofread it more thoroughly. I hope it was worth the wait.


	9. Knighthood

**Chapter Date:** August 2012 (18 BBY/17 GrS).

* * *

><p>Ahsoka and her master shared one last breakfast together as master and padawan. The reality that the pair would no long be together on a daily basis slowly sank into Ahsoka's mind.<p>

"Ahsoka, we may no longer master and padawan after today, but you know I will be more than happy to assist you in your future endeavors in the order," Master Cara said.

"I know. I just hope I'm ready to handle missions on my own, given people probably won't trust me at first," Ahsoka replied nervously.

"Remember what I taught you and remember to prove yourself with your actions. It will be hard for them to reject you if you do what you're supposed to do."

Ahsoka smiled. Even now, her master still shared her words of wisdom. They finished breakfast and stood up. Ahsoka was asked to go meditate until her knighting ceremony.

"So, this it for us," Ahsoka said.

Cara hugged Ahsoka. "I'll see you later. But until then, may the Force be with you, my Padawan," she replied.

"Master, wait!" Ahsoka exclaimed as she realized something.

"What is it?"

"I don't think you can safely cut my beads without burning or injuring me. Would it be appropriate if you just stood behind me and unhooked them? They **are** one of the few positive memories from my past and I'd like to keep them intact, if possible."

Cara smiled. "Of course, Ahsoka, I don't think Knight Rachel wants to find out if severed head-tails can be surgically repaired. I'll let the Grand Master know," she replied.

Ahsoka giggled at the last comment. She pulled the hood up on her new Jedi Robes. Ahsoka had to have the garment custom fit so it felt comfortable against her montrals and rear head-tail.

She then walked to the meditation chamber designated for her reflection. Ahsoka pulled some pillows together so that she could sit on something comfortable. She sat down on them, closed her eyes, and began to meditate. Various thoughts were flashbacks from her past.

» Being taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant by Master Plo and being tested for Force sensitivity.

» Being one of the top initiates in her class, thanks her quickness and lightsaber skill.

» Being taken back to Shili at age 12, where she successfully completed her Togruta Rite of Passage younger than most even dared to attempt it.

» Being told by Master Yoda she was going to be a Padawan sooner than the usual time and age.

» Her tumultuous master/padawan relationship with Anakin. She found it very difficult to reflect on it, but she somehow maintained her emotional balance.

The opening chamber door interrupted Ahsoka's thoughts. As she opened her eyes, the sight of who entered shocked her.

"Master!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"That's simple, Ahsoka. I'm going to be promoted to the rank of Jedi Master now. So, I've been asked to meditate until the ceremony and ponder my own future as a Master of the Order," Cara replied calmly.

"That makes sense. How does it feel?"

"Ask me later, Ahsoka. We're really not supposed to be socializing right now."

"Oh, right." Ahsoka replied. Her head-tail stripes darkened in embarrassment. She then watched her master go to the opposite corner and sit on her own pile of pillows.

The duo continued to meditate until they were summoned to the meeting chamber.

* * *

><p>Ahsoka and Cara arrived at the ceremony in silence, as was the order's tradition. Ahsoka was curious how her new Jedi Order handled knighting ceremonies, but she didn't think to ask anyone. Other Jedi slowly filed in behind Ahsoka and her master and everyone else took seats by the door. Four Jedi, including the Grand Master, were waiting for Ahsoka and Cara to join them. Cara filled the last spot in the circle of Jedi surrounding Ahsoka.<p>

"Greetings, everyone. Before we start, I must ask everyone to observe the ceremony in complete silence. Please turn off your electronic devices for now. After the ceremony, you are free to join the parting procession behind the guest of honor. Again, please walk in silence to the dining hall for a small reception. There, you may congratulate the honorees and enjoy fellowship and light refreshments for a short time," the Grand Master announced.

The lights then dimmed, except for some that lit the area around the group of five Jedi surrounding Ahsoka.

"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through all of us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what it real. Today, we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed," the Grand Master said.

The group of five Jedi ignited each of their lightsabers. As Ahsoka knelt, she could sense her master's presence immediately behind her.

"Ahsoka, by the Right of the Council and by the will of the Force..." the Grand Master said as he pointed his lightsaber about Ahsoka's left shoulder.

"I hereby name you..." he added as he pointed his lightsaber above Ahsoka's right shoulder.

"Jedi Knight of the Order," he finished as he pulled his lightsaber back to a salute.

Immediately after his statement, Cara unhooked the silka beads from Ahsoka's head dress and placed them into Ahsoka's right hand. Ahsoka then closed her grip and held onto her memento from this special day.

"But the Force has also proclaimed greatness for one of our own today," the Grand Master said. He then motioned for Ahsoka and Cara to switch places. Master Cara extinguished her lightsaber and hooked it to her belt. Meanwhile, Ahsoka stood up and ignited her lightsaber as Cara knelt down in the middle of the circle of Jedi.

"Cara, by the Right of the Council and the will of the Force, I hereby name you Jedi Master of the Order," he said as he repeated the motion of his lightsaber across Cara's shoulders.

Next, the five Jedi extinguished their lightsabers and formed a procession out of the meeting chamber. Ahsoka followed behind with her now former master directly in front of her. It was still dark, but Ahsoka was surprised to see a child attending the ceremony, thanks to her enhanced vision. She wondered who it could be as she proceeded in silence to the dining hall.

* * *

><p>Because it was mid-afternoon, the dining hall was empty while dinner was being prepared. However, the hall was decorated with a banner that read "Congratulations." A long table holding light refreshments was set up against one of the walls. Once the procession of Jedi entered the dining hall, the mood changed from serious to festive.<p>

"Congratulations, **Knight** Ahsoka," Master Cara said to her now-former padawan. "What did you do with your beads?" Cara asked curiously.

Ahsoka pointed to the pouch attached to her belts. "I put them in there for safekeeping," she replied proudly.

The other Jedi in the ceremony each took a turn congratulating Ahsoka as everyone snacked on various items from the table. There was also a cake that read "Congratulations, Ahsoka" before it was cut into pieces.

As Ahsoka sat down with a piece of the cake, a girl ran up to her. Ahsoka could sense it was the same child who attended the ceremony.

"Soka! Soka!" the girl exclaimed as Ahsoka looked at her more closely.

"Jenny, what are you doing here?" Ahsoka asked. She wasn't expecting a child that age to attend the ceremony.

"They announced a Knighting Ceremony in class today. I really wanted to see one. I was happy to see it was you," Jenny replied.

Ahsoka smiled, making sure her sharp canine teeth didn't show too much.

An older male joined the girl. "Congratulations," he said simply. Ahsoka could sense he was Jenny's father.

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied proudly. "You're her father?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes. Her mom and I were surprised she's 'Force-sensitive,' but she seems eager to learn more about how to be like you, for lack of a better way to put it."

Ahsoka looked at Jenny again. "In about 13 years, you'll be a Jedi just like I am," she promised the girl.

"That's so long, Soka!" Jenny replied emphatically.

"All you have to do is keep learning. Before you know it, the time will go by very quickly," Ahsoka assured Jenny. Jenny gave a big smile in reply.

"Jenny, say goodbye. We have to go home now," her father said.

Jenny waved goodbye and she and her father left the reception.

"You haven't been a Knight for 15 minutes yet and you're already sharing wisdom with initiates," a voice said from behind Ahsoka.

Ahsoka turned in her chair. When she saw it was the Grand Master, she rose and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for **everything**. Your former padawan was a good teacher and she was very patient with me as I adapted to your different ways," Ahsoka said gratefully.

He nodded as he folded his hands and bowed. "It was a pleasure to watch you strengthen your skills and abilities with the Force, Ahsoka. Despite your doubts, you will invariably be a valuable Knight in our Order," he replied.

Ahsoka was surprised he could sense her nervousness about being assigned missions on her own. It was her hope she would be accepted in spite of being the only Togruta Jedi on Earth. Her thoughts were interrupted, though.

"Our communications expert found more information about your species. So, I have a gift for you that I hope is appropriate to reflect your Knighthood," the Grand Master said as he handed Ahsoka a box.

Ahsoka opened it and found a silver chain. She immediately attached it to her headdress and realized it was nearly identical to the string of silka beads she wore. Ahsoka then recalled how Master Ti wore a gold chain off of her own headdress as a Jedi. Now, Ahsoka wore something similar.

"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka replied.

He then turned to Master Cara. "What do you plan to do now that you're a Jedi Master?" he asked her.

"I'd still like to be a lightsaber instructor, Master. But I suppose now that I've proven myself as a teacher, you might ask me to teach our new students as well," Cara replied.

"Well, Cara, I may have you start out as an instructor, to see if you like it and if the kids relate to you. We can go from there. But as a Master, you are now eligible for a permanent spot on the Council the next time we have an opening."

"You'd consider **me** for the Council?"

"You've shown maturity and leadership in raising Ahsoka to Knighthood. When the time comes, we'll need those traits to provide us with the insight we need to continue our Jedi Order."

"I'm honored, Master. I truly am," Cara answered. She didn't expect the vote of confidence from her former master.

"So, what do **you** plan to do now that you're Knighted," the Grand Master then asked Ahsoka.

"I do want to become stronger in the Force. Master Cara has mentioned that maybe I would make a good lightsaber instructor since I use a form not normally taught here. But I promise to serve you however the Force wills me," Ahsoka promised.

"And who knows, maybe some day, I will be naming you 'Master Ahsoka.'"

Ahsoka chuckled even though the idea of become a master some day appealed to her.

* * *

><p>The reception slowly ended as it was time to prepare the dining hall for dinner. Ahsoka and Cara returned to their shared quarters to pack their things. It was time for them to go their own separate ways.<p>

"I miss you already, master," Ahsoka said.

"My former padawan—I'm still not used to saying that—we will always be together as sisters in the Force," Cara assured Ahsoka.

"That's right. I just know my first solo mission will be a challenge," Ahsoka said with a slight smile.

"You'll be fine. Just remember to prove yourself by your actions. The rest will follow."

As Cara left the room for the last time, Ahsoka continued to gather her belongings. The box she brought with her original possessions still had the same contents. However, Ahsoka now placed her silka beads inside. She then packed up the new outfits that made up her current wardrobe.

Once Ahsoka placed her belonging into her new room, she headed back to the dining hall for dinner. She realized this was her first meal as a Jedi Knight. As she sat down with her meal, she wondered if there was any significance in her being the first Togruta Jedi on Earth.


	10. Finale (Ahsoka's Diary Entry)

**Chapter Date: **December 2014 (16 BBY/19 GrS).

* * *

><p>The fact her old datapad still worked amazed Ahsoka. She activated the diary application, and it greeted her with the following banner:<p>

_GalaxyLogger Version Cresh 15._

_Logging In …_

_Welcome, Ahsoka Tano._

Ahsoka chuckled to read her former name. After checking to see what date it was on the Earth calendar, she decided to record one last entry—something to remind her of what she had been doing ever since her Knighting Ceremony. She typed:

_**Date: December 13, 2014**_

_ Wow. This thing still works after three-plus years. I need to change the greeting, though. I'm not Tano anymore._

_ Where do I even start? I suppose I could mention what happened when I fled the temple, but I'd rather not relive that any time soon. I'll just focus on what happened after I was promoted from a Jedi Padawan to a Jedi Knight._

_ After my Knighthood, I went on a few missions. Master Cara came with me on my first mission, just to provide moral support. My second mission (my first solo mission) didn't start off well. But, it ended as a success, which made it easier to be happy about the end result. The third mission was rough. It was my first time having to deal with prejudice on my own and I did my best. I was worried about the end result, but the Council assured me that I did everything I was supposed to do after they read my post-mission report._

_ I still dealt with feelings of isolation. This was in spite of being more accepted by the other Jedi in the Order. While I enjoyed providing advanced lightsaber instruction to senior initiates, I still felt as if I needed more to give me a sense of belonging._

_ I went to discuss the situation with the Grand Master and he seemed troubled by something as well. Recalling their so-called "Open Door" policy, I asked him what was wrong. I was totally shocked when he admitted that in spite of his accomplishments, including those as a Jedi, he felt his own life was incomplete. I could only think to myself how shocking it would be to hear Master Yoda admit something similar. He also commented that he had figured that he'd have a family of his own by now, and that the once-potential chance for that had proven to be elusive._

_ I don't know what it was that prompted me to say it, but it wasn't until after I told him that maybe we were meant to be together that I had realized what I said. I don't think my lekku stripes have ever been that dark of a navy blue shade before. _

_ After the initial awkward mood, we discussed a future together, and all seemed well... until it was time for him to tell his parents. To say they disapproved of me would be an understatement. They disliked me for not being human, for being 20 years younger, and for my not having the same spiritual beliefs as their son. However, he was determined to move forward, even though they stopped speaking with him. It's safe to say we both felt we made the right choice after we spoke to the married Jedi in our Order and they offered their advice and didn't make an issue out of our differences._

_ We married a little over a year ago: October 12, 2013. He said that 10-12-13 was easy to remember as an anniversary date. Our wedding was smaller than expected, but at least we celebrated with those who truly supported us. Granted, he was 40 years old and I was 20 on our wedding day, but we've come to accept that we do care for each other._

_ One of the biggest questions for us after we married was whether we could have children. I had no idea if it was even possible. A few months later, though, we got our answer. I was rather shocked to learn I was three months pregnant this Spring. Knight Rachel tried to do some research for us. I kinda wished she hadn't when she said there was only a 50% chance I would successfully have the child. But at least my husband took care of me while I was pregnant. There were a couple of times, however, where I had to remind him I was pregnant and not totally helpless. _

_ At this time, he also suggested that I work in their nursery. It's the Earth equivalent of youngling minders. Some, but not all, of the children are Force-sensitive. We raise them in a supportive environment while their parents labor elsewhere. This also gave me a sense of purpose while preparing for my own child._

_ I'm proud to say our child was born on September 15—a girl. We both were curious how she would look because she was ½ Togruta and ½ Human. She ended up looking a lot like me, maybe because she was a girl. My genetics were more dominant in her. She had orange skin, rectangles on her temples, the same lines down the middle of her forehead, and circles on her cheeks. The biggest difference was that instead of arches above her blue eyes, the lines went down on either side of her nose and arched underneath them. I think she may have a bit of her father's face; maybe it will be noticeable more when she's older. She also has thin wavy white lines across her back, chest, upper arms, and upper legs, some of which I don't even have. It was interesting to see her born without lekku. They started growing once she was born, although they look thinner since she's only ½ Togruta._

_ I was concerned how he'd accept a child who looked just like I do. Those concerns instantly disappeared after he held her for the first time and kissed her in between the blue dots on top of her head. Ever since then, I knew he accepted and loved her. He still kisses her forehead every night now, and she seems to have grown to like it. He named her Sarah; the name means "Princess" in another Earth language. He figured she would always be his little princess. Yes, I even smiled after writing this. Apparently, it's customary on Earth to have a second name, or a middle name as they call it. He chose his best friend's middle name since she uses that as her first name. He admitted he always wanted his first-born daughter to share a middle name with her. _

_ He tried to contact his parents to let them know they were grandparents. Sadly, they still wanted no part of our family. I didn't need to be a Jedi to see how disappointed and frustrated this left him. He's still determined to be the best father he can be, though. So far, I think he's done a good job all things considered._

_ Sarah's three month check-up is coming up in a couple of days. So, we will have her midi-chlorian levels checked then. Whether she's Force-sensitive will determine how we educate her once she's older. While anything is possible with our hybrid daughter, I'd be surprised if she wasn't Force-sensitive. Even though I may never return to my home galaxy, my husband and I agreed to teach Sarah as much as we can about her Togruta heritage._

_ As odd as it is to admit, I actually enjoy being mother. Although I was designated as an inactive Jedi unavailable for assignments, I feel as if raising Sarah has given me a purpose again. The only thing that scares me is how the Jedi back home would react upon learning that not only am I married, I now have a child. I think Master Plo would be the one Jedi I'd worry about the most. Kel Dorians tend to see things in black and white and render a quick judgment. I'd be afraid that if he was alive, he would disapprove of Sarah and me. However, I'd like to believe that looking into her blue eyes would just maybe change his mind (about her anyways, if not me). His approval always meant a lot to me growing up. Even if Master Plo didn't survive the attack like I did, his approval still means a lot to me. He was probably the closest thing I had to a father figure._

_ I also worry about how Sarah will be treated when she's older and around more people, but at least I can draw on my own experiences over the past few years to help her deal with that. _

_ Sarah just woke up, so it's time to feed and change her. I gave her my old tooka doll, but she doesn't seem to show any interest in it unless it's squeaked. She's already figured out when her father comes home in the late afternoons, so she's adjusted her sleeping patterns to be awake when he comes home. If I remember the expression correctly, it appears she just might be a "Daddy's Girl," even though the two of them look as different as night and day. He's definitely a proud father._

_ May the Force be with her... and our family._

– _Ahsoka._

* * *

><p><strong>Closing Commentary:<strong> From start to finish, this was an intense and climatic story to write. It's also bittersweet because this also marks the end of the story. Now, however, I have a back story to tie into my private writing that starts just before Sarah's 12th birthday. Once Ahsoka is ready to share the story with Sarah, I now have something upon which to draw.

My version of the Knighting Ceremony was largely based on what was listed in Wookiepedia, albeit with modifications to reflect aspects from the Earth Jedi Order, such as the post-ceremony reception.

The title for chapter three comes from the book of Psalms—Chapter 137 to be precise. For anyone that has seen the movie or musical version of _Godspell_, this is where the song _On the Willows_ comes from. That is from where I drew the chapter title.

Thanks to everyone who supported the story with their reviews and feedback. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

END


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